Rabu kome manga no sekai ni haitte shimattanode - V2 Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Ball Game Tournament

And so──the day of the ball game tournament arrived.

Our grade is divided into eight classes, so a round-robin tournament takes quite a bit of time.

That’s why there are no classes today; the entire day is dedicated to the tournament.

For students who hate class and love to be active, it’s a dream come true.

In other words… for Yūichi, who’s a bit dim but has outstanding athletic ability, it’s probably the best day ever.

“Hm? Tsukasa, did you just make fun of me?”

“Did you and Tōjōin-san learn mind reading as kids or something?”

“Of course not. And hey, that’s basically admitting you were making fun of me.”

“Well, it’s our turn soon. We should probably warm up.”

“If you’re going to change the subject, at least be better at it.”

We had already changed into our gym clothes at school and were out on the field.

The boys are playing baseball, so our games are held on the outdoor school grounds.

The grounds are pretty big, so two games are being played at the same time.

The match before ours just ended, so we’re up next.

A real baseball game would go for nine innings, but if we spent that much time on a single game in a school tournament, it would take forever.

So it seems they’ve put a time limit on it, with each game ending after about thirty minutes.

“Tsukasa, we’re definitely gonna win!”

“Yeah, well, I think we’ll be fine as long as you’re here.”

“What’s with that? You don’t sound very motivated.”

“No, it’s just that you’re too good.”

We had already finished one game earlier.

The result was a complete victory. The reason for that was almost entirely thanks to Yūichi Shigemoto.

He’s our pitcher, and his fastball clocks in at the high 140s in kilometers per hour.

That’s faster than the ace of your average high school team.

He can’t throw a breaking ball, apparently, but against amateurs, that speed alone is more than enough.

It’s so fast that anyone who’s never played baseball before would hate standing in the batter’s box.

And this guy is out here in a school tournament, full of amateurs, throwing with all his might.

Even on the baseball team, it’d be a toss-up whether they could hit a high-140s fastball.

Our school’s baseball team isn’t particularly strong, so there are very few who could hit it.

I almost feel sorry for the opposing team, having to face his pitches.

“Shigemoto-kun! Hisamura-kun!”

As I was thinking about that while waiting for the game to start, I heard a voice from behind me.

I turned to see Fujise approaching, waving her hand. Next to her was Sei-chan.

Since it’s the ball game tournament today, both of them were, of course, in their gym clothes.

“Is your game about to start?”

Fujise asked, and Yūichi answered.

“Yeah, our class is up next. Are you girls done with your basketball game?”

“Yep, we’re done.”

“Did you win?”

“We did! Though it was mostly thanks to Sei-chan.”

Fujise said, turning toward Sei-chan.

Sei-chan looked away shyly.

“No, it’s just… I feel a little bad for going all out like that.”

“Fufu, you did. You were sinking so many shots, Sei-chan.”

Sei-chan seemed a little embarrassed about having gone all out, her cheeks turning red. Cute.

Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve gotten a good, head-on look at Sei-chan in her gym clothes.

It’s a simple, white, short-sleeved shirt and shorts, an unadorned outfit, yet why does it look so incredibly cute when Sei-chan wears it?

Also… it’s just that, well, the way her chest is emphasized is something that, as a guy, I can’t help but notice.

Gym clothes are made of thin fabric, so I guess they’re bound to stand out if they’re large.

In contrast… Fujise is, well, um, I knew from the original story, but she’s more modest.

“Hisamura-kun? Are you thinking something rude right now?”

“Not at all, Fujise-sama.”

Wait a minute, why can you all actually read minds?

I don’t think there was any setting in the original story where everyone could use mind reading.

But this time, it was my fault. I should reflect on my actions.

“Yūichi, your team’s game is next, isn’t it?”

“Ah, Kaori.”

As we were talking, Tōjōin-san arrived.

“I came to cheer on your class, Yūichi. Or rather, to cheer on you.”

“I appreciate it, but are you sure? The team we’re playing next is your class, you know?”

“My attachment to the boys in my class isn’t strong enough to suppress my desire to cheer for the man I love.”

“I-I see.”

Yūichi was a little flustered by Tōjōin-san’s words, but it seemed the boys from her class heard her too… and their morale plummeted.

Yeah, I get it. If a beauty like her told you, “You guys aren’t worth cheering for,” you’d be pretty down.

“Hmph… Sh-Shigemoto-kun! I’m cheering for you too, okay!”

“Yeah, thanks, Fujise.”

As if to compete, Fujise also offered Yūichi words of encouragement.

“Dammit…! That bastard, not only does he have the madonna* of our class, Tōjōin-sama, cheering for him, but Fujise-san too…!”

[T/N - Most beautiful/popular girl]

“Unforgivable, I’ll never forgive him…!”

“We’re gonna crush him!”

…Somehow, the opposing team’s morale is now rising instead.

Well, if there’s a guy being cheered on by girls this cute, I guess any high school boy would start to resent him.

“Oh, looks like the game’s about to start.”

Just as Yūichi said, the student acting as umpire blew a whistle and shouted, “Will the classes for the next game please assemble?”

“Alright, I’m off! I’m counting on your cheers!”

“On the contrary, since I’m the one cheering for you, I won’t forgive you if you lose, Yūichi.”

“Good luck, Shigemoto-kun!”

Yūichi seemed fired up, shouting “Alright!” as he ran off.

With him around, there’s no way we’ll lose. I guess I’ll just take it easy.

“Hisamura.”

“Hm? What is it, Sei-cha—!”

Since no one was around, I was about to call her Sei-chan but stopped myself.

But that stop wasn’t of my own volition.

When I turned around, Sei-chan’s face was so close that I gasped, cutting off my words.

So close. Any closer and our noses might touch.

Sei-chan probably didn’t expect to get this close either, and I could sense a hint of hesitation from her, but she continued to speak from that distance.

“I’m cheering for you… so do your best.”

She whispered those words to me as we stared into each other’s eyes from incredibly close.

Then, Sei-chan pulled her face away with surprising speed and walked away from me, her face bright red.

After watching her go, I felt my own body growing hot… and I staggered toward the spot where Yūichi and the others were gathered.

Luckily, it seemed no other guys saw me and Sei-chan with our faces so close, so no one understood why I was staggering.

“Tsukasa! This is bad! They said I was too good in the last game, so I’m banned from pitching!”

“…Yūichi.”

“What? You’re staggering, Tsukasa. And your face is red… What happened?”

“I’ll pitch.”

“Eh? You can do it?”

“I used to in elementary school. Though I’m probably slower than you.”

“Oh, really! I was wondering who should pitch! I’m counting on you, Tsukasa!”

“All right! We’re absolutely gonna win, you bastards!!”

“Wh-Whoa!? Tsukasa, you’re suddenly all fired up.”

“Of course I am, you idiot! Let’s do this!!”

“Wait a sec, Tsukasa, was this your character!?”

My character is falling apart? Who cares about that!

After what Sei-chan said to me, there’s no way I’m not going all out!

I’m gonna give it everything I’ve got!

 

◇　◇　◇

 

“Hisamura-kun is amazing, isn’t he?”

Shiho, standing next to Sei, couldn’t help but murmur as she watched the game.

“Yeah, he is. I never thought Hisamura could play baseball that well.”

In the game Sei and Shiho were watching, Hisamura was pitching.

Sei had heard that Hisamura played baseball in elementary school, but she never imagined he could pitch this well.

His speed wasn’t on Shigemoto’s level, but his control was better.

And he seemed to be throwing a curveball as a breaking ball, completely baffling the other team.

Just now, the batter swung at a pitch from Hisamura and missed, striking out to end the half-inning.

“Yesss!”

Hisamura, lightly sweating, gave a small fist pump the moment he got the strikeout.

Shigemoto and his other male classmates approached Hisamura, giving him high-fives.

Sei kept her reaction to a light clap, but inwardly, she was ecstatic.

(Yes, yes! Nice one, Hisamura!)

The corners of her mouth turned up involuntarily, but surely no one was looking right now.

Shiho beside her, and the other girls from their class, were also watching the game with excitement.

She could hear the girls from her class who were cheering with them talking about Hisamura.

“Hisamura-kun is so cool!”

“I know! He’s usually not that noticeable in class, but he’s pretty athletic!”

“And his face isn’t as handsome as Shigemoto-kun’s, but he’s still good-looking. I wonder if Hisamura-kun has a girlfriend?”

“I’ve never heard anything about that. He probably doesn’t, right?”

“Maybe I’ll try going for Hisamura-kun.”

(Wh-What?!)

Hearing that, Sei couldn’t stop herself from whipping her head around to look at the girl who’d said it.

“Eh, really?”

“Yeah, Hisamura-kun is totally my type. And isn’t that gap moe great? I never really noticed him since he’s always next to Shigemoto-kun in the classroom, but he’s actually pretty cool.”

“Well, that’s true. In that case, maybe I’ll try going for him too.”

(Wh-What the…?!)

Sei was in turmoil over her classmates’ conversation.

She had never imagined that other girls would take such an interest in Hisamura.

(Kuh, a miscalculation…! It’s true that Hisamura isn’t bad-looking, and I, well, I think he’s handsome, but…)

Without looking directly at the girls who were still talking about Hisamura, Sei strained her ears to listen with all her might.

“Wait, weren’t you dating that guy from the class next door?”

“We broke up the other day. I’m free now, so it’s fine, right?”

“Well, I guess it’s fine, but is it okay to just date a guy so easily?”

“It’s not like we’re going to be together forever. It’s more like, trying it out.”

(What? With such a casual attitude…!)

Shiho had mentioned before that some people chose to date someone they didn’t love, just to try it out.

But Sei had decided against such an insincere act, choosing to date someone she could be truly serious with.

(It’s not that I’m denying that way of thinking about relationships, but… the thought that Hisamura is being seen as someone you can just date casually is kind of… irritating…)

Everyone thinks differently when it comes to dating someone.

But Hisamura had fallen for her for real, and he had confessed to her with such sincerity…

(Th-This was not the time to be remembering that…!)

While watching the boys’ baseball game at the tournament, Sei’s face turned bright red as she recalled Hisamura’s confession.

But one thing Sei knew for sure was that neither she nor Hisamura had started dating with such a casual mindset.

(Kuh, I want to tell those girls that, but to do so, I’d have to tell them that Hisamura and I are dating. That’s impossible…!)

As she was lost in thought, the baseball game progressed, and Hisamura was about to step into the batter’s box.

“Sei-chan, Hisamura-kun is up to bat!”

“Ah, r-right.”

“Look, Hisamura-kun is looking this way.”

Just as Shiho said, she could see Hisamura looking in their direction before stepping into the batter’s box.

Stop looking over here and focus on the game, she thought, but at the same time, she felt a thrill of happiness, knowing that he was looking at her and thinking of her as special.

Hoping to convey a “do your best,” she gave a small wave, trying not to let others notice.

She wasn’t sure if he got the message, but Hisamura clutched at his chest as if in pain.

“Wh-What’s wrong with Hisamura? He’s clutching his chest. Did he get hurt somewhere?”

“Yeah, it’s your fault, Sei-chan, so he’s fine.”

“Wh-Why is it my fault?”

“Because you’re too cute, of course.”

Not understanding what she meant, Sei tilted her head.

The moment she was about to ask again,

““Hisamura-kun, good luck—!”“

A pair of high-pitched cheers echoed from beside them.

Looking over, she saw the two girls who had been talking about wanting Hisamura as their boyfriend cheering at the top of their lungs.

Their voices must have reached Hisamura just before he stepped into the box, as she saw him give a small, slightly surprised nod.

“Ahaha, Hisamura-kun is so cute.”

“Fufu, he is. If we go talk to him after this, maybe we can make a good impression.”

It seemed that, whether for fun or for real, they were planning to make a move on Hisamura.

“…”

“Sei-chan, Sei-chan, you’re looking a little scary.”

“…My apologies.”

She had unintentionally glared at the two girls, and Shiho had to call her out on it.

As his girlfriend, she should be grateful that they were cheering for Hisamura.

But if they wanted to make Hisamura their boyfriend, if they wanted to go after him, that was a different story.

“Shimada-san, I don’t think you can afford to be complacent, can you?”

Tōjōin, who had been nearby to cheer for Shigemoto, spoke to Sei.

“Hah! Tōjōin… What do you mean?”

“Ara, surely you know? Hisamura-kun is going to become quite popular after this tournament, you know?”

“Th-That might be true.”

It was her fault for cheering him on and firing him up, but she never thought he would play so well as to draw this much attention.

“Those bitches who were just shouting are planning to go after Hisamura-kun, too.”

“‘Bitches’ is a terrible thing to call them…”

“A woman trying to steal another’s man is nothing more than a bitch.”

“…Tōjōin, do you… do you know that Hisamura and I are dating?”

Sei asked in a low voice, conscious of the people around them.

Neither Hisamura nor Sei should have told Tōjōin that they were a couple.

“Of course I know. Anyone could tell just by watching you two.”

“A-Anyone? Does that mean the people in our class also…”

“No, I doubt the rest of the class knows. That you two get all lovey-dovey during lunch break, holding hands under the desk while using us as a smokescreen.”

“Wha—?! H-How do you know about that too…?!”

“I can see you, you’re right in front of me. Though I doubt Yūichi has noticed.”

She never thought that not only Shiho, but Tōjōin too, had found out about them holding hands during lunch.

“T-Tōjōin, please, don’t tell anyone that Hisamura and I are dating.”

“And why is that? If I were to start dating Yūichi, I would announce it for all to hear.”

“Th-That’s because it’s already common knowledge that you like Shigemoto!”

“Well, that’s true. But if I were in your situation right now, I would be all over Hisamura-kun, enough for not just our friends, but strangers to notice as well.”

“Wh-What, that’s…!”

“Those bitches from before were obvious, but you can’t be sure there aren’t other girls aiming for Hisamura-kun, right? If it were me, I’d show him off enough to let everyone know, ‘Hisamura is mine.’”

“W-Well, that’s... um...”

It was true that if she did that, other girls would probably stop going after Hisamura.

But there was no way Sei could bring herself to do something so embarrassing.

As the two of them were talking, the crack of a bat echoed from the game, and at the same time, a cheer went up.

Looking over, it seemed Hisamura had gotten a hit, and he was running past first base.

“Ara, it looks like Hisamura-kun is showing off his skills again. See? Other girls besides those bitches from before might start giving him heated looks.”

“Kuh...!”

It was true; the way the girls in their class looked at Hisamura had changed.

She didn’t think all of them were looks of romantic interest, but the thought that some of them might be made her feel irritated.

But then... Hisamura, who had stopped on first base, turned to look her way.

He smiled faintly and made a small victory pose with his fist.

The gesture made her heart skip a beat. The feeling that it was meant just for her made her so happy that her earlier irritation vanished.

As if to answer Hisamura’s gesture, Sei gave another small wave.

This time, Hisamura didn’t press a hand to his chest, but his smile grew even more innocent, which made Sei smile back in spite of herself.

“...So lovey-dovey. I feel like an idiot for worrying.”

“Ah...”

Tōjōin, who had been watching the exchange between her and Hisamura from beside her, said with a sigh.

“Well, I’m sure people who don’t know you’re dating will still try to make a move on Hisamura-kun.”

“Kuh... I-I know.”

“Then that’s fine. Now then, I have my own job to do.”

With that, Tōjōin took a step forward and shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Yūichi! You’d better get a hit!”

The batter after Hisamura was Shigemoto.

When Tōjōin yelled at him before he stepped into the batter’s box, Shigemoto smiled, raised a fist, and shouted, “You got it!”

“Shigemoto-kun! Do your best!”

Shiho, as if not wanting to be outdone by Tōjōin, cheered in a loud voice she rarely used.

Shigemoto responded to her as well, shouting, “Thanks!”

It seemed Shigemoto’s motivation had gone up, but so had the opponent’s.

The reason for that was almost certainly jealousy.

The pitcher put much more force into his throw than he had with Hisamura.

Since the pitcher was on the baseball team, he naturally had a pretty good throw.

However, he was up against the wrong opponent.

An even louder crack than when Hisamura had hit the ball echoed, and the ball soared through the air.

It flew right over the outfielders’ heads and disappeared out of bounds.

In an instant, a huge cheer erupted across the school grounds.

“That’s my Yūichi! An easy home run!”

“Shigemoto-kun, that was amazing!”

Tōjōin and Shiho, who both liked Shigemoto, exclaimed in excitement.

The girls from their class and other classes who had seen it also let out high-pitched squeals.

Even the girls they had just been talking about—the ones aiming for Hisamura—had more radiant expressions on their faces than when Hisamura had gotten his hit.

It was true that a home run was more impressive than a hit, and she knew Shigemoto was more popular.

As Hisamura’s girlfriend, Sei should have felt relieved that Shigemoto was drawing the girls’ attention instead of Hisamura.

But still...

(This is somehow rubbing me the wrong way... My Hisamura is just as good.)

Thinking this, Sei’s expression hardened.

 

◇　◇　◇

 

Hah, I’m exhausted…

Having finished the game against Tōjōin-san’s class, I was taking a breather.

Somehow, with the momentum and flow of things, I ended up being the pitcher. I hadn’t pitched in a while, but I was in pretty good shape.

Well, there’s only one reason I was in good shape, though.

Right now, I’m playing a light game of catch with Yūichi as a cool-down after the match.

I suddenly threw with all my might with almost no practice, so if I don’t take proper care of my arm afterward, I’ll end up wrecking my shoulder or elbow.

I’m probably fine, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

After finishing our light game of catch, Yūichi and I head over to where the rest of our class is gathered.

Perhaps because the boys’ baseball team had won, everyone was chatting excitedly in a corner of the schoolyard.

When Yūichi and I arrived, a few of the girls noticed and approached us.

“Yūichi-kun! That home run was amazing!”

“Hitting one off the baseball team’s ace is just incredible!”

“Yo, thanks!”

As expected of Yūichi, he’s popular with the girls in our class, so he was immediately surrounded.

When Yūichi flashed a refreshing smile, the girls nearby blushed.

Man, what do you expect from the handsome protagonist?

Though that home run really was incredible.

“Excuse me, could you let me through?”

“Ah, T-Tōjōin-san… Please, go ahead.”

Tōjōin-san arrived and, with a smile, made the girls from our class disperse.

It seems even they had no intention of competing with Tōjōin-san.

Well, it takes guts to stand up to Tōjōin-san.

Both in terms of looks and power.

“Yūichi, good work out there.”

“Ah, Kaori, thanks.”

With Tōjōin-san’s approach, almost all the girls around Yūichi disappeared.

All except for one—Fujise Shiho.

“Shigemoto-kun, good work. Here, a cold towel.”

“Oh, thanks, Fujise. Hah, this feels good.”

“Fujise-san? Is that your towel?”

“Of course it is, but…”

Cooling a towel for Yūichi like that… she’s like a devoted team manager.

If a girl this cute became a manager, I feel like I could become strong enough to go anywhere.

“I’ll buy that towel from you for whatever price you name.”

“Eh?”

“A towel soaked in Yūichi’s sweat… It has considerable value. You understand, don’t you?”

“No, I have no idea what you mean.”

Even Yūichi couldn’t help but retort to Tōjōin-san’s words.

Yeah, I think Tōjōin-san is the only one who understands what that means.

“What is it, Yūichi? Your sweat is more valuable to me than diamonds, you know?”

“No, diamonds are definitely more valuable.”

“That depends on the person. Of course, if I could, I’d want to lick it directly… ingest it.”

“Hold on, were you just about to say ‘lick’? Eh, my sweat? And while ‘ingest’ might be a little better than ‘lick,’ it’s still pretty messed up.”

“It’s fine. I’ll keep the intake to a moderate amount, so I don’t think I’ll get withdrawal symptoms.”

“I’m telling you, I don’t get it. Are you confusing my sweat with some kind of illegal drug?”

Tōjōin-san really is… her sexual preferences are a little weird, or rather, messed up…

“Ara, Hisamura-kun, is there something you’d like to say to me?”

“No, nothing at all.”

It might be better to just assume she can read my mind.

Especially when I’m thinking something a little rude like that.

“So, Fujise-san, what do you say? I can go up to a hundred million.”

“A hundred million…?!”

Even I couldn’t help but let my voice escape.

Isn’t that a bit much?

To spend that much money on a mere towel soaked in Yūichi’s sweat.

For me, a towel soaked in Sei-chan’s sweat would be…

Let’s stop. I shouldn’t think about this any further.

There’s a high probability I’ll end up with a messed-up fetish, just like Tōjōin-san.

“Fufu, I’m sorry, Tōjōin-san. This is my favorite towel, so I’m afraid I can’t give it to you.”

Fujise stated with a smile, easily turning down the offer of a hundred million.

“Eh, Fujise, this is your favorite? Are you sure it’s okay for me to use it?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Shigemoto-kun, did you get all the sweat wiped off?”

“Yeah, it felt great.”

“I see, that’s good.”

Fujise said as she took the towel back from Yūichi.

“If you want, I can wash it at my place and give it back…”

“It’s okay, I’ll wash it properly myself. I won’t do anything like Tōjōin-san, so don’t worry.”

“Ah, yeah, of course I didn’t doubt that.”

Yeah, there was never any depiction of Fujise being like that in the original story, so she probably doesn’t have any weird fetishes.

…Right?

 

Tōjōin-san and Fujise started bickering again as if to fight over Yūichi, but since it had nothing to do with me anymore, I slipped away from the scene.

I felt like Yūichi shot me a look that said, “Help me,” but it must have been my imagination.

Come to think of it, where’s Sei-chan?

I hadn’t seen her since the game ended.

I scanned the area for her and found her a short distance away from where Fujise and Tōjōin-san were arguing.

She was surprisingly close.

As I started walking toward Sei-chan, she must have noticed me approaching, because our eyes met and she gave me a small smile.

She’s so cute, I want to date her. Oh, wait, we are dating.

Just as I was thinking that and about to call out to Sei-chan, at that very moment.

“Hisamura-kun, good work in the game!”

“You were an amazing pitcher! Your pitches were so fast! Did you used to play baseball?”

As if to get between me and Sei-chan, two girls came up and started talking to me.

“Eh, ah, thanks. I only played baseball back in elementary school.”

I was surprised they suddenly started talking to me, but I couldn’t just ignore them, so I answered.

Who are these girls, anyway?

I remember they’re in my class, but I can’t recall their names, which I feel bad about.

“Oh, really! You’re so athletic, that’s amazing!”

“Yeah, you were so cool!”

“Ah, hahaha, thanks.”

I’m genuinely happy to be praised, but I’m scared there’s some ulterior motive.

And they say I’m athletic, but I only played baseball in elementary school. I was just able to stand out because I had experience and everyone else was a complete amateur.

Compared to Yūichi, who casually hit a home run off the baseball team’s ace despite being an amateur himself, my athletic ability is nothing.

And Sei-chan too… right, I was about to talk to Sei-chan.

Thinking that, I made small talk with the two girls while glancing over at Sei-chan.

“—!”

“Hm? What’s wrong, Hisamura-kun?”

“N-No, it’s nothing.”

I almost let out a yelp. That was close.

The two girls can’t seem to see her since Sei-chan is behind them, but… Sei-chan is glaring at them with somewhat scary eyes.

The atmosphere feels similar to when Tōjōin-san shoos away the girls around Yūichi.

Wait, could it be that Sei-chan… is jealous?

No way, eh, seriously?

I know it’s bad to say this, but… I’m super happy.

As I thought that and looked at Sei-chan, she noticed my gaze.

Sei-chan gasped, her cheeks flushing red, and she looked away awkwardly before moving far away as if to escape from me.

I don’t know if she was actually jealous, but she must have been embarrassed that I saw her just now.

“Sorry, I just remembered something I have to do.”

“Eh, ah, okay.”

After apologizing to the girls who had spoken to me, I followed after Sei-chan.

Sei-chan hadn’t gone that far. She was at the edge of the schoolyard, in a spot where the school building blocked the sun, creating a shadow.

It was cool there since the sun wasn’t hitting it, making it the perfect place to rest after exercising.

Sei-chan was leaning against the wall there.

She looks good no matter what she does, even just leaning against a wall. As expected of Sei-chan.

“Sei-chan, good work out there.”

“Hisamura… You too, good work.”

When I spoke to her, Sei-chan replied while looking down, not meeting my gaze.

There were a few other students around, but they were all talking amongst themselves, so no one was looking our way.

“Did you see me out there? You were cheering for me, so I tried harder than I thought I could.”

“Of course I was watching. You were, um, cool…”

“Ngh!? Ah, thanks…”

I didn’t expect such a direct compliment from Sei-chan, and my words of thanks got caught in my throat.

“I’d heard you played baseball, but I never thought you were that good.”

“Well, it’s not like I’m exceptionally good. Just now was more like my adrenaline was pumping because you were cheering for me.”

“I-Is that so… The girls in our class were saying something about seeing you in a new light. Isn’t that great?”

“Hm?”

Why is she suddenly talking about the girls in our class… Ah, could she mean the two girls who came up to me just now?

“I’m happy about my reputation with the girls in class, but I’m not that interested. The only thing I care about is whether my reputation with you has gone up, Sei-chan.”

“—! Of course it has. You, um, did your best for my sake. Even if you hadn’t gotten results, I would have been happy.”

“…Th-Thanks.”

She’s so happy and so cute…!

I feel like I’ve been taking counterpunches this whole time.

No, Sei-chan is probably embarrassed too, so it feels like we’re both landing clean hits on each other.

I also found myself unable to look at Sei-chan for a moment and averted my gaze, then looked back at her again.

Just then, Sei-chan must have looked at me at the same time, because our eyes met perfectly.

For a brief moment, we both made a bewildered gesture… then we couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing together.

“Ahaha, that was kind of funny just now.”

“Fufu, you’re right. That was a strange moment.”

Even these casual, meaningless conversations are fun when I’m having them with Sei-chan.

There had been a slightly awkward atmosphere, but that instantly cleared the air.

“Isn’t the girls’ basketball game about to start?”

“Ah, you’re right. Well then, shall we head to the gym?”

What’s more, the next game is against Tōjōin-san’s class.

Our class has won easily up until now thanks to Sei-chan, but it probably won’t be so simple when we’re up against Tōjōin-san’s class.

“The next game is against Tōjōin-san, huh?”

“Yeah, it is. It’ll probably be the toughest match of this whole tournament.”

“Good luck, Sei-chan.”

Sei-chan practiced yesterday and the day before to beat Tōjōin-san.

She was mainly practicing three-point shots, and by the end, she really wasn’t missing at all.

I didn’t count how many she made in a row, so I don’t know for sure, but it felt to me like she sank a hundred in a row.

“You helped me so much, so I’ll be sure to win for your sake, Hisamura.”

“—!”

She said something like that so casually, with a slight smile on her lips.

It wasn’t a counter, but a complete surprise straight punch to the face.

“Too cool…!”

I couldn’t help but mutter as I covered my face with both hands.

“Wh-?! D-Don’t say things like that all of a sudden!”

Sei-chan said to me, looking embarrassed.

With that exchange, Sei-chan and I headed for the gym.

 

We arrived at the gym. Sei-chan went to the court, and I went up to the catwalk on the second floor.

The gym isn’t as big as the schoolyard, so I go up to the second floor to cheer.

“I’ll be cheering for you, Sei-chan.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

With that final exchange, Sei-chan and I parted ways.

I went to the spot on the second-floor catwalk where the boys from my class were gathered and met up with Yūichi.

“Oh, Tsukasa, you’re here. The game’s about to start.”

“Yeah. This will probably be the closest game of the whole tournament.”

“Of course it will. Our class has Shimada, and their class has Kaori.”

Both teams had played several games so far and were undefeated, winning every match by an overwhelming margin.

“Who do you think will win, Yūichi?”

“Nine times out of ten, Kaori’s class. Shimada is strong, but there’s a limit to what one strong player can do in basketball.”

The opposing team not only has Tōjōin-san, but also three members of the girls’ basketball club, while our team has none.

“We’re in the same class, so I want them to do their best, though.”

“You don’t have to cheer for Tōjōin-san?”

“Hmm, that’s a tough one. It’s super hard to cheer for the enemy team.”

It’s true, this time it’s a match against our class, so normally it would be hard to cheer for a good friend on the opposing team.

“But in that same situation, Tōjōin-san was cheering for you, wasn’t she?”

“Come to think of it, she was.”

“Well, she’s a special case.”

Tōjōin-san’s world revolves around Yūichi, so she seemed like she truly couldn’t care less about the boys in her own class.

“Instead of cheering for the enemy team, wouldn’t it be okay to just cheer for Tōjōin-san?”

“You’re right. It’s just a small school event, so I don’t have to be so rigid about it.”

“It’s just cheering, after all.”

“I guess I’ll shout some words of encouragement to Kaori from here later, then.”

If Yūichi called out to Tōjōin-san, that woman would probably try her absolute hardest.

Just like I did earlier.

No, if you compare me trying my best because Sei-chan was cheering for me, and Tōjōin-san trying her best because Yūichi was cheering for her, I should win in terms of effort.

That’s how hard I tried because Sei-chan was cheering for me. Yep.

“By the way, Tsukasa, what about you?”

“Hm? What about what?”

“Well, our class or Kaori’s class, who do you think will win?”

I had asked Yūichi, but I hadn’t given my own answer.

But well, my answer is, of course, already decided.

 

“──Sei-chan is on our team. It’s obvious our class will win.”

 

“Ah, you said ‘Sei-chan.’”

“Pretend you didn’t hear that. I meant Shimada, Shimada.”

It was a name I wasn’t supposed to use unless we were alone.

“And don’t you dare call her Sei-chan, or I’ll knock you out.”

“How is that fair?!”

 

◇　◇　◇

 

Light shooting practice before the game begins.

To get a feel for her shot, Sei takes a few three-pointers.

Every single one sinks into the net as if drawn in by a magnet.

“Alright.”

Having confirmed her shooting touch felt good, she heard an official call out, “Line up!” and the starting members gathered in the middle of the court.

Of course, Sei was in the starting lineup, so she headed toward the center of the court.

Lined up in front of her was the opposing team, and among them... was Tōjōin Kaori.

“Good day to you, Shimada-san. Are you prepared to lose?”

Tōjōin said with a look of utter confidence, her words dripping with provocation.

“I’ve only prepared to win. What about you? Are you ready to cry on Shigemoto’s shoulder?”

“Ara, I would have loved to prepare for that. But unfortunately, since that will absolutely never happen, I haven’t prepared at all.”

“Then you should at least mentally prepare yourself now. Even without any prep, I’m sure Shigemoto would be willing to hide your crying face.”

“That’s right, Yūichi would do that for me in a heartbeat. In that case, Shimada-san, are you prepared to borrow his shoulder?”

“I-I have no plans to do anything like that with him, at least for now.”

“Heeh, is that so? For now, you say.”

“Kuh...!”

In their light pre-game squabble, Sei couldn’t shake the feeling that Tōjōin had gotten the last word.

A basketball game begins with a jump ball between a representative from each team.

It was only natural for Sei, who was tall and had a high jump, to do it. And for the opposing team, it seemed Tōjōin would be handling the jump ball as well.

The two of them entered the center circle alone, surrounded by the other players.

“Come to think of it, we never decided on a punishment for the loser, did we?”

“A punishment?”

Sei was a little taken aback by Tōjōin’s sudden proposal.

“A match of this magnitude would be boring without anything on the line, don’t you think? Let’s say the winner gets to order the loser to do something.”

“...Fine by me. It’s not like I’m going to lose.”

“Fufu, I’ve already decided what I’m going to order you to do when I win.”

Just as Tōjōin said that, the referee blew the whistle and tossed the ball into the air.

“──You’re going to publicly announce that you’re dating Hisamura-kun.”

“Wha—!?”

Startled by Tōjōin’s words, Sei’s timing was off, and she lost the jump ball.

And with that, the game began.

 

Immediately after the game started, Tōjōin’s team scored the first points.

Their opponents were three members of the basketball club, plus the exceptionally athletic Tōjōin Kaori.

Stopping their offense was far too difficult. They scored with ease.

Then it was Sei’s team’s turn on offense.

After bringing the ball to half-court, it was passed to Sei.

Sei received the ball outside the three-point line.

The one defending her was, of course, Tōjōin Kaori.

“That order from before... are you really going to make me do it?”

Sei asked while holding the ball, her eyes on Tōjōin, who was crouched low in front of her, ready to move at a moment’s notice.

“Of course. I don’t lie.”

“Tch... I see. Then I can’t afford to lose.”

With that, Sei continued to hold the ball, looking for an opportunity to attack.

But with Tōjōin defending her so closely, she couldn’t take a three-point shot.

(This girl, is she trying to shut down my three-pointers...?)

Just as Sei thought, Tōjōin was wary of her three-point shots.

That was why she was defending her up close, to prevent her from shooting.

(Shimada-san is trying to rack up more points with three-pointers. In that case, all I have to do is not let her shoot.)

That was Tōjōin’s thinking as she defended.

And then──Sei made her move.

She took a step as if to blow past Tōjōin’s side and began dribbling toward the basket.

While defending up close can prevent a shot, it also makes it easier for the offensive player to get by.

But with Tōjōin’s physical abilities, even an average basketball club member couldn’t easily get past her.

However, Sei’s physical abilities surpassed even Tōjōin Kaori’s.

Sei tried to leave Tōjōin in the dust in an instant.

“Kuh...!”

Reacting to Sei’s speed at the last second, Tōjōin tried to stick with her.

But... just as Tōjōin tried to keep up, Sei took one step, dribbled once, and then suddenly jumped backward.

“Wha—!?”

Tōjōin, not expecting that at all, was left behind.

Sei was already in her shooting form, and the now-distant Tōjōin was powerless to stop her.

Sei released the ball with perfect form. It traced a beautiful arc and swished through the very center of the net.

The shot was worth three points.

Which meant Sei had shot from outside the three-point line.

(A step-back three-pointer...!)

The step-back — a move where you take one step forward, dribble once, and then immediately jump back to shoot.

Just going through the motions is easy, but actually making the shot afterward is a feat of incredible skill.

The body is in a more difficult position than usual, which makes sinking the shot difficult.

When that shot is a long-range three-pointer, the difficulty skyrockets.

And she had just sunk that difficult shot with ease against Tōjōin Kaori.

After the shot went in, there was a moment of silence... followed by an explosive cheer that erupted throughout the gym.

“Shimada-san, you’re so cool...!”

“She’s so fast! Is that really how an amateur girl moves?!”

“Oi, you’re on the basketball team, right? Can you do that?”

“No way, with a defender that tight on you, a step-back three is impossible.”

Boys and girls alike, everyone watching was voicing their admiration for Sei’s play.

“You’ve really done it now...”

The three-pointer she had been most wary of, the one she had been determined to prevent, had been scored so easily.

“This is just the beginning. Don’t lose heart over something like this, Tōjōin.”

Sei said with a fearless smile.

“So cool...! Sei-chan, you really are a saint...! I’m falling for you... no, I’ve already fallen, but I’m falling even harder...!”

“Tsukasa, your inner monologue is a little loud.”

Neither Sei nor Tōjōin had any way of knowing that such a conversation was unfolding on the second-floor catwalk.

 

The ball-sports tournament basketball games last for twenty minutes.

A regulation basketball game consists of four ten-minute quarters, but there wasn’t enough time or stamina for that.

The first ten-minute half of the game between Sei’s class and Tōjōin’s class had ended.

The score was twenty to fifteen. Tōjōin’s class was in the lead.

As expected, it was tough for Sei to take on three basketball club members and Tōjōin all by herself.

Well, if Sei had handled the offense by herself the entire time, they might have been able to win.

But this was a ball-sports tournament. Of course, there were other girls besides Sei, and she had to pass the ball to them.

In a game meant for fun, it would be far too boring for the other students if Sei held onto the ball the whole time.

The ball came to Sei every few possessions; in the first ten minutes, it was about five times.

And on all five of those possessions, Sei scored against Tōjōin’s team.

Three three-pointers and two two-point shots, for a total of thirteen points.

Of the fifteen points Sei’s team had scored, Sei had scored thirteen. It was obvious to anyone watching that without her, it wouldn’t have even been a game.

The first ten-minute half was over, and the second ten-minute half had already begun.

But Sei wasn’t on the court.

Ten minutes of playing basketball at full tilt would push a normal girl to her physical limits.

But Sei could still move just fine.

The reason she wasn’t playing was, again, because it was a ball-sports tournament with other girls.

If Sei played the whole time, she would be taking up one of the five spots on the team.

“Phew...”

Sei watched the game’s progress, leaning against a wall and drinking some water.

A shadow approached the lone, seated Sei. She noticed the person.

“Shimada-san, good work out there. You really are something else.”

“Good work, Tōjōin. I’ll take that as a compliment.”

Tōjōin sat down next to Sei as she spoke.

“Want some water?”

Sei offered the water in her plastic bottle.

“No, I’m fine. Besides, I only plan on indirectly kissing Yūichi.”

“I-I see...”

Getting that unnecessary piece of information, Sei took another sip of water, slightly bewildered.

“Speaking of which, Shimada-san, have you and Hisamura-kun at least kissed?”

“Buh—!”

At Tōjōin’s sudden question, Sei nearly spat out her water.

“Wh-What in the world...!”

“Ara, it’s just normal girl talk. So, have you?”

“N-No, not yet.”

“You haven’t? I thought you two would have by now.”

“Why?!”

“Because you two are always so lovey-dovey. Frankly, it makes me jealous.”

“W-We are not! Wait, huh? Jealous?”

“Ah, of course, I’m not trying to steal Hisamura-kun, you know? I was just thinking that I want to start dating Yūichi soon so we can be all lovey-dovey and have s—”

“I-I see... Hmm? Wait, didn’t you start to say something else at the end there?”

“It was just your imagination.”

With that, the conversation came to a halt.

The two of them watched the game together. It seemed to be a seesaw battle.

Neither Sei nor Tōjōin was playing, nor were the basketball club girls from Tōjōin’s team.

It was a battle of complete amateurs.

Unlike the intense feeling of the first half, it had the atmosphere of a ball-sports tournament, where everyone was having fun regardless of skill level.

As they sat side-by-side watching the game, Sei asked Tōjōin something that had been on her mind.

“Tōjōin, about that punishment we were talking about earlier...”

“Ah, the one about announcing you’re dating Hisamura-kun...”

“D-Don’t say another word!”

Sei glanced around to see if anyone was listening, then breathed a sigh of relief when she saw no one was nearby.

“...Shimada-san, there’s something I’d like to ask you, if you don’t mind.”

“What is it?”

“Why are you hiding the fact that you’re dating Hisamura-kun?”

“Wha—!?”

Not expecting to be asked something so direct, Sei’s cheeks flushed red.

“If it were me, I’d absolutely make it public. I’d tell everyone and brag, ‘Yūichi is mine!’”

“You would, wouldn’t you...”

In fact, even though they weren’t dating, she already seemed to be bragging to everyone about how cool Yūichi was.

“Besides, by telling everyone, you can keep the other women in check. Like, ‘Yūichi is mine, so don’t you dare make a move.’“

“You already do that, don’t you...”

“Ara, that’s true. But Fujise-san is the only one who challenges me, so I’d like to eliminate her soon.”

“Don’t say such dangerous things. If you lay a hand on my friend Shiho, I’ll never forgive you.”

Sei glared as she said this, but Tōjōin just chuckled and continued.

“Don’t worry, I have no intention of eliminating Fujise-san in that way. Well, if she were to become a threat to Yūichi, I might have.”

“...Don’t tell me you’ve done that to other women before?”

“Fufu, I’ll plead the fifth.”

“...”

That was practically a confession, but Sei was afraid to ask for details.

“I haven’t committed any crimes. It was the woman who was a threat to Yūichi who committed a crime, like stealing his belongings.”

“Well, if that’s the case, I guess it can’t be helped... but are you really sure?”

“Yes, I haven’t killed anyone.”

“...I-I see.”

Sei decided it was best not to press the matter any further.

“Let’s get back on topic. If I were in your shoes, Shimada-san, I would just tell everyone that I’m dating Hisamura-kun. Especially now that he’s catching the eye of other girls.”

“Ugh...”

Sei let out a groan as Tōjōin hit a sore spot.

During the baseball game earlier, Hisamura had played well and a lot of girls had called him “cool.”

In fact, some girls had even taken action and gone to talk to him.

When she saw that, she had thought, That woman, with my Hisamura...! and glared at them, only for Hisamura to see her face.

That was a blunder. She hadn’t wanted Hisamura to see her make a face like that.

“So, why won’t you make it public? If you do, you can keep other women in check, you can be all lovey-dovey in the classroom... there are only good things about it.”

“...Well, it’s just that...”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Tōjōin peered into Sei’s face as she mumbled in a small voice.

“...I-It’s embarrassing, having other people know.”

“Tch...!”

She buried her face in her knees, which were drawn up to her chest, as if to hide.

With the upper half of her face still visible, her cheeks flushed red, she averted her gaze from Tōjōin as she spoke.

“...To think you’d make my heart skip a beat. You’ve got some moves, Shimada-san.”

“Wh-What do you mean?”

“Do you always show that side of yourself to Hisamura-kun? At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before he overdoses on sugar.”

“Wh-What do you mean by that!?”

Sei didn’t understand what Tōjōin was saying, but she could tell she was being teased, so she raised her voice slightly.

“But I never thought you’d keep it a secret for such an adorable reason, Shimada-san.”

“Kuh... Stop teasing me so much.”

Sei said, turning her face away again.

“I honestly thought you were hiding it because you were embarrassed that Hisamura-kun was your boyfriend.”

“O-Of course not!”

Sei denied it with the loudest voice she had used in their conversation.

Perhaps she had been too loud, as a few students nearby turned to look at Sei and Tōjōin.

Sei realized this with a start and looked down, embarrassed.

Tōjōin smiled at Sei’s reaction.

“I’m kidding, I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d react like that.”

“Kuh, you have such a nasty personality.”

“But I’m glad to know that you’re with Hisamura-kun because you truly like him.”

“Ugh...!”

Being told that so directly was, as expected, embarrassing for Sei.

Tōjōin chuckled again at her reaction and turned her gaze to the basketball game.

“I’m going back in for the last three minutes or so. What about you, Shimada-san?”

At her words, Sei also looked at the game. There were about five minutes left.

And the point difference was almost nonexistent; Sei’s team was still losing, but only by two points.

“...Yeah, I guess I’ll go in around then, too.”

“I see. The basketball club girls on my team won’t be playing for the last three minutes either.”

“Oh? Are you sure about that?”

In the first half, with three basketball club members and Tōjōin, they had managed a five-point lead against Sei alone.

Without the three basketball club members, Sei would have a significant advantage.

“I’m not so cheap as to win by a narrow margin with three basketball club members and then gloat about it.”

“I see. In that case, I’ll give you my all. Have you made a reservation to cry on Shigemoto’s shoulder?”

“I’d like to book an exclusive, eternal contract, if I could. But today, you’re the one who’ll be borrowing a shoulder. Hisamura-kun’s, of course.”

The two of them stood up at the same time, looked at each other, and laughed.

“If I win, I’m making my relationship with Hisamura-kun public. Got it?”

“You still haven’t forgotten about that?”

“Of course not. It’s fine to be embarrassed, but I think there are more benefits to making it public.”

“…It’s not that I’m avoiding it for the sake of any benefits.”

“I see. Well, you’d better prepare yourself for it to be made public.”

“No, I’ll just prepare to decide on your punishment.”

After this exchange, they each walked back toward their own classmates.

 

And then, a few minutes later, Sei and Tōjōin entered the court again.

This time, just as Tōjōin had said, the girls from the basketball club didn’t join them.

It was, in the truest sense, a one-on-one match between Sei and Tōjōin.

Their female teammates, and all the students, both boys and girls, watching the game, had all wanted to see the two of them face off one more time.

The moment they stepped out, cheers erupted in the gymnasium.

Accepting the cheers, the two of them looked at each other and smiled.

The score difference was two points, with Tōjōin’s team in the lead.

“I’m going to widen the gap and win.”

“Save the sleep talk for when you’re sleeping.”

Neither had any intention of losing. After making their declarations, the final three minutes began──.

In those last three minutes, every ball went to the two of them.

It wasn’t that their teammates were just reading the room; they, too, wanted to watch the two of them battle.

After two exchanges of offense and defense, the match seemed to be an even draw.

When Sei scored a basket, Tōjōin would score one right back.

They repeated this twice, so it seemed their skills were evenly matched… or so one might have thought.

In her two attacks, Sei had sunk a three-point shot both times.

In the first half, Tōjōin had guarded Sei by sticking to her like glue, but that was on the premise that help would come even if Sei got past her.

But now, it was a complete one-on-one. No help was coming, so she had to prevent Sei from getting by.

That was why she was defending from a slight distance, but Sei exploited that gap and easily sank the first three-pointer.

Sei had two three-pointers. Tōjōin had two Two-pointers.

They had scored the same number of baskets, but there was a two-point difference.

In other words… the lead Tōjōin’s team had at the start was gone, and the score was now tied.

With less than thirty seconds remaining, it was Tōjōin’s turn to attack.

Given the time, this would likely be Tōjōin’s final offensive play.

“Not bad, Shimada-san,” Tōjōin said, holding the ball near the three-point line, to Sei, who was in a low defensive stance in front of her.

“You too, Tōjōin. But I’m stopping you this time.”

She had tied the score, but to secure a clear victory, Sei had to stop this attack.

“Are you that desperate to keep things with Hisamura-kun a secret?”

“Tch, I already told you.”

“If it were me, I’d want everyone to know about my amazing boyfriend. ‘This is my boyfriend,’ you know? Don’t you feel that way?”

“Tch, that’s…!”

“Especially if Hisamura-kun isn’t a boyfriend to be ashamed of.”

In that instant, Tōjōin made her move.

With a quick dribble, she feinted right, then immediately cut back to the left.

“Kuh…!”

Completely thrown off, Sei was a step too slow and Tōjōin blew past her.

There was no one in front of Tōjōin, leaving an easy shot to the basket.

She kept running, brought the ball up, and went for a layup shot──.

“Wha—!?”

The moment the ball left Tōjōin’s hand, Sei, who had chased her from behind, slapped the ball away.

Tōjōin cried out in surprise, never imagining she’d be blocked from behind after completely shaking her defender.

The deflected ball hit Tōjōin’s leg and went out of bounds.

The clock stopped. Play would resume with a throw-in from Sei’s team.

Ten seconds remaining.

A girl from Sei’s team threw the ball in, and Sei received it.

Sei immediately brought the ball to the center line, continuing to dribble near the middle of the court.

Eight seconds left.

Tōjōin kept a slight distance from Sei, preparing for her attack from about a step outside the three-point line.

If Sei was going to make a move, it would be at the last second. She would probably try to get past her with a dribble.

Six seconds left.

A Two-pointer would win it, a three-pointer would win it. Sei should be able to make either.

So Tōjōin was wary of a three-point shot, but since Sei was still dribbling around the center line, she kept her distance.

Four seconds left.

Sei still hadn’t made her move.

Tōjōin braced herself, thinking she must be about to attack, but──she didn’t.

Two seconds left.

(Tch, no way!)

It was then that Tōjōin realized what final attack Sei was planning.

In that instant, Sei stopped her dribble and held the ball.

Then, she released her shot.

A super long-range shot from more than three meters beyond the three-point line.

Tōjōin, who had been defending from a distance, thinking there was no way she would shoot from that far out, could do nothing but stare at her beautiful form.

Because it was shot from so far away, the ball traced a higher arc than usual.

“Tōjōin, I’m the type who wants to keep my precious treasures… all to myself, without showing them to anyone.”

The moment Sei said that──the ball swished through the net.

A moment of silence fell over the gymnasium, followed by an explosive roar of cheers.

The winner was Sei.

 

◇　◇　◇

 

All the matches of the ball game tournament were over.

At the end, the class with the overall victory was announced, and of course, it was ours.

After all, we’d placed first out of all the classes in both boys’ baseball and girls’ basketball.

For us guys, Yūichi’s presence was probably the biggest factor.

He hit a home run at least once per game, and even when he missed, he’d still get a double.

I did most of the pitching, and I think I did a pretty decent job… I think.

For the girls, of course, Sei-chan’s presence was almost everything.

The match that drew the most attention in this whole tournament, between both boys and girls, was the one between Sei-chan and Tōjōin-san.

The energy during the game and the level of excitement after it ended were incredible.

But I guess that’s to be expected when you’re shown a match that insane.

Man, it was seriously amazing.

Sei-chan was just too cool, too perfect.

I’m sure all the guys and girls were completely captivated by Sei-chan and Tōjōin-san.

 

Right now, it’s probably a little past six o’clock.

Our class has come out for a party to celebrate the end of the tournament.

“Alright, everyone! Got your glasses? No alcohol, though! Not until you’re twenty!”

Yūichi stood up among the seated crowd to take the lead.

“Okay, great work today! Congratulations on the win! Cheers!”

A beat later, the voices of boys and girls mingled in a chorus of “Cheers!”

We were at a large izakaya near the school, in a private tatami room big enough for all of us.

I think it’s fine for high schoolers to go to an izakaya as long as they don’t order alcohol… but how were we able to book such a huge private room?

Normal high school students couldn’t pull something like this off… but we have one not-so-normal high school student here.

“Yūichi, good work. That was a nice speech, so I made sure to get a good video of it.”

“Kaori, thanks, but please delete the video. And why are you at our class’s party when you’re in a different class?”

That’s right, it was Tōjōin Kaori, sitting right next to Yūichi.

“Ara, but you wouldn’t have been able to book this place if I weren’t here, you know?”

“I’m very grateful for that, but… doesn’t your class have a party? Your class came in second, right?”

“It’s fine. A party without you isn’t worth attending, Yūichi.”

“Do you even have any friends in your own class? Are you okay?”

“Thank you for your concern, Yūichi. I’m fine. I communicate perfectly well with the girls. I just don’t talk to the boys very much.”

And so, for some reason, Tōjōin-san was at our class’s party.

Well, the fact that we’re in this huge room, eating all this ridiculously lavish and delicious food, is all thanks to Tōjōin-san.

A normal class would probably have their party at a family restaurant or something.

This place is apparently run by the Tōjōin Group, so we students get to have our party without paying a single yen.

What incredible power and money. The Tōjōin Group is on another level.

After that, the party progressed at a relaxed pace. Once everyone had their fill, they broke off into groups and started chatting.

Yūichi and I hadn’t moved from our original seats, and neither had Tōjōin-san, who was next to him.

Even though most people were full, Yūichi was still stuffing his face.

“Impressive, Yūichi. Just eating at your own pace.”

“Mmph… but it’s so good, and it’d be a waste to leave it.”

Most of the food was served on large platters for sharing, so there was a lot left over.

Amidst it all, Yūichi kept eating by himself while chatting with Tōjōin-san next to him.

“Fufu, I love that about you, Yūichi.”

“Nngh! O-Oh, really…”

“Ara, did you just blush?”

“I-I’m not blushing!”

…It’s like they’re creating a world of their own.

The reason no other girls were flocking to Yūichi, the hero of this tournament, was probably because of Tōjōin-san.

But at last, a brave girl appeared to challenge her, sitting down next to Yūichi.

“Shigemoto-kun, good work today. You were so cool during the tournament!”

“Oh, Fujise, thanks. You too. It’s kinda rude to say, but I was surprised you’re so athletic.”

“Ahaha, not at all compared to Sei-chan.”

“Yeah, well, Shimada’s in a league of her own.”

As they spoke, they both glanced over at Sei-chan.

I followed their gaze and saw… Sei-chan was surrounded by girls.

“Shimada-san, you were truly amazing! You were so cool!”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Your shooting form? Is that what you call it? It was just so perfect, super cool!”

“And when you blocked Tōjōin-san’s shot, you jumped so high… you were way more handsome than most of the guys here!”

“I-Is that so.”

A group of excited girls surrounded Sei-chan, talking animatedly about the tournament.

Overwhelmed by their passion, Sei-chan smiled, looking a little embarrassed.

Cute… but it’s a little lonely that I haven’t been able to talk to her at all since we got to the party.

Well, I guess it can’t be helped. After a performance like that, she’s bound to be the center of attention.

“Kaori was crazy good too, but she couldn’t beat Shimada.”

…Whoa there. Leave it to Yūichi-kun to step right on a landmine.

I felt the temperature in our immediate vicinity drop a few degrees.

I think there was an unspoken agreement not to bring that up, but Yūichi just had to ask.

“…Yes, that’s right. It was my complete defeat this time,”

Tōjōin Kaori had almost never lost before, be it in academics or athletics.

In elementary, middle, and high school, it was a given that she’d be first in her grade on any test; she’d never placed otherwise.

In sports, even without being in a club, she was good enough to beat kids who were.

But this time, she had probably been utterly defeated in a sport for the first time.

She seemed a little down about it, as expected.

“I didn’t expect Shimada-san to be that good, but if there’s a next time, I will absolutely win. Because I am Tōjōin Kaori, am I not?”

Tōjōin-san said with a fearless smile.

That strength, that coolness—that’s what Tōjōin Kaori is all about.

“I see. Good luck.”

“Yes, thank you.”

At Yūichi’s words, Tōjōin-san gave him a sweet smile.

Just when I thought they were back in their own little world…

“Ah, Shigemoto-kun, you have some rice on your mouth.”

“Eh, seriously? Where?”

“Right here.”

Fujise used her finger to pick a grain of rice off Yūichi’s cheek and popped it into her mouth.

“Fufu, cute.”

“—!”

Eating the rice from his cheek, a mischievous smile at close range.

Even Yūichi, famous for his denseness, turned red.

“…Excuse me, Fujise-san. Isn’t it rather improper to eat a grain of rice off a man’s cheek?”

“Eh, you think so? But Tōjōin-san, if it were on Shigemoto-kun’s cheek, wouldn’t you do the same?”

“I wouldn’t just pick it off and eat it. It would be far better to just place my mouth directly on his cheek and eat it that way.”

“Ah, that would have been a good idea too.”

“No, no, let’s not do that. That’s way too embarrassing.”

Yūichi, who had been stunned and blushing, finally interjected into their conversation.

“Yūichi, get a grain of rice on this cheek, too. I’ll get it for you.”

“Hey, it’s not like I put it there on purpose. Besides, with the way this is going, you’re planning to put your mouth directly on my cheek to get it, aren’t you?”

“Ara, would that be so wrong?”

“It’s embarrassing for a lot of reasons, so no.”

“Fufu, too bad, Tōjōin-san.”

…Why do I have to be the one watching this full-on showdown between the three of them?

I feel like Yūichi is giving me a look that’s begging for help again, but I don’t care.

Right, I think I’ll go join another group.

With that thought, I stood up with just my drink, left the showdown behind, and started wandering around the large tatami room.

I want to talk to Sei-chan, but she’s surrounded by girls, so it’s hard to approach her.

I usually hang out with Yūichi, but I talk to other guys normally, too.

It’s not like I don’t have any friends.

But joining a group now feels kind of awkward.

“Hisamura-kun, are you all alone?”

“Hm?”

Hearing a voice from behind, I turned to see about four girls looking at me and smiling.

Two of them were the ones who’d talked to me after the boys’ baseball game.

“Wanna come talk with us?”

“Is it okay for me to join you?”

Is it really okay for a guy like me to join a group of only girls?

“It’s fine! We were just talking about you, Hisamura-kun.”

“About me?”

I walked over to their group as I spoke and sat down in a random spot.

The two girls who’d talked to me after the game, plus two more.

…To be honest, I don’t clearly remember a single one of their names.

I’d asked Yūichi for the last names of the two who approached me… I think they were Satō and Itō.

But I have no idea which one is Satō and which one is Itō.

“Hisamura-kun, you were amazing in the baseball game. We were just talking about how cool that was.”

“Especially Gotō-chan. Fufu, she was super excited, weren’t you?”

“H-Hey!”

The girl who was just teased must be Gotō-san.

“And Katō-chan said you were cool too, Hisamura-kun.”

“W-Well, Satō-san, you said it too!”

Hold on a second.

Why are you guys all grouped up as Satō, Itō, Gotō, and Katō?

Even though I’ve heard all their names, I’m definitely going to mix them up.

If I try to call any of them by name here, there’s a high chance I’ll get it wrong.

“Hisamura-kun, you were a really good pitcher. Did you used to play baseball?”

One of the girls who’d spoken to me after the game—so either Satō-san or Itō-san—asked me that.

“Yeah, but only in elementary school.”

“Oh, really. That’s pretty surprising. I didn’t know you were athletic, Hisamura-kun.”

“I think I’m just about average.”

“No way, that’s not true. You were amazing out there.”

“It’s because I had experience. The gap between someone with experience and a total beginner is huge. Well, with a few exceptions.”

I said, glancing over at Yūichi.

He was still eating, surrounded by those two.

Amazing. He really can eat a lot.

“Ahaha, Shigemoto-kun is special, isn’t he?”

“I wonder if Shigemoto-kun has really never played baseball before.”

“That guy’s just talented at every sport.”

I don’t think people who can do that much normally exist, but he really is like a manga protagonist.

“Shigemoto-kun is amazing, but you were cool too, Hisamura-kun!”

“Yeah, I don’t think the boys would’ve won without you, Hisamura-kun.”

“Ah, thanks.”

Hearing that from either Katō-san or Gotō-san, I thanked them, a little surprised.

“We’re not good at sports at all, are we?”

“Yeah, we couldn’t do much in the basketball tournament either.”

“The only reason we won is all thanks to Shimada-san.”

As they said that, the girls and I all looked over at Sei-chan.

She was still surrounded by girls, seemingly having a fun conversation.

“Shimada-san was so cool…”

“Yeah, seriously… I thought I was going to fall for her.”

“If I were a girl, I would’ve fallen for her.”

“You are a girl.”

The girls gazed at Sei-chan with something like adoration in their eyes as they spoke.

Hey, hold on, stop that.

I’m happy that you all think Sei-chan is amazing and cool, but the thought of you guys falling for her makes my heart skip a beat for some reason.

And the way they muttered, “She was so cool…” sounded so genuine.

I’d rather not have girls becoming my rivals.

 

As we were talking, the topic of conversation shifted again.

“Hey, hey, Hisamura-kun, is there anyone you like?”

“Hmm, someone I like…”

I pretended to ponder the question.

Of course, there is.

When asked who I like, no other name besides Sei-chan comes to mind.

But is it a good idea to say I like Sei-chan here?

They’d definitely press me for details.

The fact that Sei-chan and I are dating is a secret, so being interrogated would be tough.

But answering that I don’t have anyone I like feels wrong, somehow.

“…I guess there is, yeah.”

I decided to answer honestly.

Saying “no” here just didn’t feel right.

I said “I guess,” but it’s not a casual feeling at all. I’m dead serious.

“What?! Really?!”

“I never thought you had someone you liked, Hisamura-kun!”

As expected of high school girls in the prime of their youth, they latched onto the love talk immediately.

All of them stared with wide eyes in surprise, which then instantly lit up.

“Eh, who is it?! A girl in our class?!”

“Or a girl from another class?! Someone in the same club?”

I knew they’d ask.

What should I do? I can’t possibly just come out and say it’s Sei-chan.

“I’m not in a club.”

“Oh, right. So is it someone in our class?”

“Hmm… that’s a secret.”

“Aww, what?!”

When I said it was a secret, the girls let out disappointed-sounding noises, but their faces were still shining with excitement.

“There’s no way I can just tell you out of the blue.”

“Boo, boo!”

“You can’t just leave us hanging like that!”

“I know, we’ll guess! If we guess right, you have to tell us!”

When one of the girls said that, they all started trying to guess who I liked.

I haven’t agreed to tell them if they guess right, though…

“Give us a hint!”

“Isn’t it a little early for hints? You haven’t even made one guess yet.”

“Come on! A hint, Hisamura-kun!”

A hint, huh…

“Okay, she’s insanely cute.”

“Heeh, really? Are you surprisingly picky about looks, Hisamura-kun?”

“Not really. The person I fell for just happened to be the cutest girl in the world.”

“Kyaaah!”

Hearing my words, the girls let out a high-pitched squeal.

“What was that, what was that?!”

“You’re for real! Hisamura-kun, you’re totally crazy about her!”

I’d accidentally let my true feelings slip, and it got them more worked up than I expected.

I could feel people around us looking over.

From Sei-chan…

“Huh, Shimada-san, what’s wrong? Your face is super red.”

“Are you okay? Maybe you have a fever from being tired?”

“N-No, I’m fine…”

The girls around her were pointing out how red her face was and worrying about her.

I wonder what’s wrong. I’m worried too.

I guess if you play that hard in a basketball game, you’re bound to be exhausted.

“So, so, you didn’t fall for her just because of her looks, right, Hisamura-kun?”

“Right. Well, I do like her face now, though.”

“Fufuu, thanks for the treat! So, Hisamura-kun, what part of her made you fall for her?”

I didn’t expect them to dig this deep.

The one who asked was either Satō-san or Itō-san, but the other three looked like they were dying to know, too.

Hmm, well, I doubt they’ll figure out it’s Sei-chan just from this, so it should be fine.

I’ll just be a little vague.

“Let’s see… I guess it’s how much she cares about her friends?”

“Really? How could you tell?”

“It’s hard to explain, but... maybe the way she’d suppress her own feelings for a friend and just give a gentle smile?”

“Whoa, I don’t really get it, but that sounds lovely!”

Yeah, it’s hard to explain when I’m trying to be vague.

But they seemed satisfied with my answer, their eyes sparkling.

“Shimada-san, what’s wrong?”

“N-No, it’s just... right now, I can’t...!”

“Can’t what?”

When I glanced over at Sei-chan, for some reason, she was covering her face with both hands, as if to hide it.

I wonder what’s wrong.

As I was thinking that and watching her, Sei-chan peeked out from between her fingers.

In that instant, our eyes met.

“Hh...!”

I saw her bright red face, and her moist pupils glared at me slightly.

Sei-chan immediately covered her face with her hands again, as if to look away.

Wait... that reaction.

Could it be that Sei-chan heard what we were talking about?

But there’s a fair bit of distance between where I am and where she is.

I wouldn’t think she could hear from this far away...

I don’t know. Sei-chan’s physical abilities are greater than the average person’s.

Maybe her hearing is better, too, so she could hear me.

But there’s no way to check that here.

“Hey, hey, Hisamura-kun! Give us more hints!”

“Hm? Ah, let’s see.”

“Actually, rather than hints, we want to hear about your feelings for this person!”

“Isn’t that changing the subject?”

Hmm, what should I do?

While I answer the girls’ questions, I also want to check whether or not Sei-chan can hear me.

“How about the fact that she surprisingly likes sweets?”

“I think almost all girls like sweets, though.”

“Maybe so. But, I don’t know, the person I like doesn’t really look like the type. The way she looks so cute while happily eating something sweet...”

“Heeh, is that so?”

That one didn’t seem to resonate much with the girls.

It’s probably that thing—I might have a condition where I like Sei-chan so much that I think everything she does is cute.

For now, I’ll look over at Sei-chan...

“I-It’s not like I don’t like salty things, too...”

“Shimada-san, why did you suddenly start eating the leftover fries?”

Can she hear me?

When I said I liked that she likes sweets, Sei-chan started eating something salty.

I can’t hear Sei-chan’s voice, so I don’t really know, but I can see that her cheeks are a little red.

I can’t tell if she can hear me or not.

“Aww, I wonder who Hisamura-kun likes.”

“We can’t figure it out with just these hints.”

It seems the girls are trying to guess who I like, but...

“I’ll say this just in case, but I won’t tell you even if you guess right.”

“Aww, why not?”

“Well... it’s embarrassing.”

To be honest, I’m not really that embarrassed.

My feelings for Sei-chan are completely genuine, so I don’t think it’s embarrassing to talk about them.

But it seems Sei-chan doesn’t like talking about it with other people.

She seems to want to keep the fact that we’re dating from others, so it’s probably best if I don’t go around proclaiming that I like her.

 

After that, the girls asked me all sorts of other things about the person I like, and I just gave them vague answers.

It was a little tough talking while hiding the fact that it was Sei-chan and making sure they wouldn’t figure it out, but I got to do a little bragging, so I might have actually enjoyed it.

As I was thinking that, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.

While Satō-san and Katō-san were talking, I took out my phone and looked at the screen. A RINE message had come in.

The sender is... Sei-chan?

I glanced over at her for just a second.

Just like before, Sei-chan was talking with the girls surrounding her, but... the phone she hadn’t been holding was now in her hand.

Did she just send me a message?

I opened RINE and looked at the message she’d sent.

‘Can we meet up and talk somewhere, just the two of us, after this?’

...I desperately held back a grin.

It was an unexpected invitation for a date.

I never thought I’d get an invitation like this from Sei-chan.

I replied immediately.

‘Of course. Should we slip out of the party soon?’

After I sent it, I saw Sei-chan look at her phone screen out of the corner of my eye.

The message was marked as read, and a reply came back right away.

‘I’m fine with that, but are you? It looked like you were having a good time over there.’

Did Sei-chan hear our conversation?

I don’t think she’d know if we were having a good time unless she could hear us...

No, when I was answering where I liked Sei-chan earlier, Satō-san and the others had squealed and gotten excited.

She might have heard that.

‘I want to talk with you, Sei-chan, so I want to leave right now.’

When I sent that reply, Sei-chan must have already had the chat screen open, because it was marked as read instantly.

“Ngh!?”

“Shimada-san, what’s wrong?”

“N-No, I just cleared my throat a little. My apologies.”

I heard Sei-chan cough, but I wonder if she’s okay.

‘I understand. Then shall we meet at the nearby park?’

‘Got it. I’ll leave first. You can leave a few minutes after me.’

‘Understood. I’ll be there soon.’

After reading that message, I put my phone back in my pocket.

Alright, time to make my exit!

“I’m gonna head home now,” I said, standing up and addressing the girls I’d been talking with.

“Aww, isn’t it early? It’s not even eight yet.”

“Yeah, let’s talk some more.”

I’m grateful they’re trying to make me stay, but I want to talk with Sei-chan alone.

Throughout this whole party, I’ve been wanting to talk to her.

“Sorry, my sister will get mad if I don’t head home soon.”

“Eh, you have a little sister, Hisamura-kun?”

“Yeah, an incredibly cute one.”

“Ahaha, you’re a sis-con, Hisamura-kun.”

“Maybe so. So, sorry. I had fun today. See you at school tomorrow.”

I was about to get drawn into another conversation when they asked about my sister, Rie, so I said a quick goodbye and left.

My stuff was at the seat where I first sat, which is where Yūichi, Tōjōin-san, and Fujise were.

Yūichi is... still eating?

“Hm? Tsukasa, you heading home already?”

“Yeah, see ya. Something came up.”

“I see. Well, see you tomorrow.”

“...Farewell, Hisamura-kun.”

“...See you, Hisamura-kun.”

“Yeah, see you all tomorrow.”

After a brief farewell to the three of them, I grabbed my things and left.

It bothers me a little that Tōjōin-san and Fujise glanced in another direction and spoke with such a knowing tone... but oh well.

As I was leaving the large tatami room, I glanced over at Sei-chan, and our eyes met.

I gave a slight nod, as if to say “I’ll be waiting,” and Sei-chan nodded back, as if to say “I know.”

I wonder if I’m the only one who gets happy over little things like this.

 

Even though it’s gotten warmer in mid-May, the nights are still chilly.

But it’s not so cold, more like a pleasant coolness.

A short walk from the restaurant, there’s a fairly large park.

I went there and bought two hot drinks from a nearby vending machine.

A lightly sweetened coffee and... maybe cocoa.

I bought the two, sat down on a bench, and waited for Sei-chan, looking up at the sky.

There wasn’t a single cloud, so the stars and moon were clearly visible.

It might be bright enough to see my surroundings even without the park’s streetlights.

I hope Sei-chan comes soon.

I kept glancing at my phone screen, checking the time.

Five minutes had passed since I left the restaurant. She wasn’t here yet.

Ten minutes passed... still not here.

Huh, she said she’d leave a few minutes after me. I wonder what happened.

Could it be that she tricked me?

The thought crossed my mind for a second, but there’s no way Sei-chan would do something so petty.

If it were Yūichi, he might, and I’d probably send him a RINE message at this point, but I know Sei-chan will definitely come.

So I waited, trusting her, and about fifteen minutes after I’d left, Sei-chan arrived at the park.

She must have been in a hurry, because she half-ran into the park.

With a flustered expression, Sei-chan looked around, but when she spotted me sitting on the bench, she let out a breath as if in relief.

Even that gesture struck me as cute, and my cheeks relaxed into a smile.

“My apologies, I’m late. This will sound like an excuse, but the people I was talking with wouldn’t let me go...”

“It’s fine. I just got here myself.”

“No, there’s no way that’s true.”

“Ahaha, you’re right.”

“Honestly...”

Sei-chan gave a small laugh at my joke.

I didn’t mind at all, but she seemed a little bothered about being late.

Sei-chan took a breath and sat down next to me.

Her profile, illuminated by the moonlight, and her beautiful silver hair.

Just having her sitting next to me makes the scenery look like a fantastical world from a painting.

As I was thinking that and gazing at her, Sei-chan tilted her head quizzically.

When she did, her silver hair swayed, reflecting the moonlight and shining. Even that was so beautiful it made my heart skip a beat.

“What is it, Hisamura?”

“Nothing, just thinking that you’re as beautiful as ever, Sei-chan.”

“Ngh!? Wh-What’s this all of a sudden...?”

Looking embarrassed, Sei-chan tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

What is this? Every single thing Sei-chan does looks like a work of art. It’s almost scary.

“Sei-chan, here.”

I handed her the cocoa I’d bought earlier.

“Hm? What’s this?”

“Cocoa.”

“Eh, are you sure?”

“Yeah. It might have gotten a little cold, though.”

“That’s my fault for being late. Thank you. How much was it?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“But...”

“It’s fine. Here, let’s have a toast?”

I held my can of coffee out toward Sei-chan.

We’d had a toast at the party earlier to Yūichi’s call, but I hadn’t done one with Sei-chan.

Our seats were far apart, so we couldn’t even clink our glasses together.

When I held my coffee can out to her, Sei-chan gave a soft laugh and opened her can of cocoa.

“Yes, thank you. Good work today, Hisamura.”

“Good work today, Sei-chan.”

We clinked our cans together with a clank and then each took a sip.

 

“Sei-chan, congrats on winning the basketball tournament.”

If we were going to talk, it would probably be about the ball game tournament.

“Ah, thanks. Congrats on your win, too. You were the pitcher until the very end, Hisamura. Are your shoulder and elbow okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I made sure to cool down properly.”

I think I threw over a hundred pitches in total, but I should be fine. I pitched with everything I had in the game right after Sei-chan cheered for me, but after that, I pitched at a pace that wouldn’t overdo it.

“I see, that’s good. And... you were cool.”

“Hk! Th-Thank you...”

I never expected such a direct compliment, and the words got caught in my throat.

Sei-chan didn’t turn to face me either, just glanced my way. But even in this darkness, I could see that her cheeks were slightly red.

As if to hide our embarrassment, Sei-chan and I took a sip at almost the exact same time.

“You were incredibly cool too, Sei-chan. Especially during the match against Tōjōin-san.”

Compared to how cool Sei-chan was, my coolness was probably on the level of a water flea. The match against Tōjōin-san was just too cool. Both the guys and the girls were captivated by Sei-chan and Tōjōin-san. Sei-chan’s popularity with the girls, in particular, was amazing.

“Thank you. It’s thanks to you that I was able to beat Tōjōin, Hisamura.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

“You helped me practice basketball yesterday and the day before, didn’t you? It’s because of that I was able to beat Tōjōin. Thank you.”

“...Y-You’re welcome.”

This is bad. I feel like Sei-chan is wooing me. She’s so cool I can’t even look at her face.

Sei-chan is just thanking me normally, smiling without a hint of shyness, so I’m the only one who’s embarrassed. My heart is pounding so hard I’m worried she’ll hear it next to me.

“S-Speaking of which, Sei-chan, you were surrounded by girls at the party earlier, but it was crazy after the game ended, too.”

I changed the subject bluntly, but it was the only way to keep my composure.

After that game ended, Sei-chan was swarmed not just by the girls in our class, but by girls from other classes, too. It was really like she was an idol. Just her speaking was enough to elicit screams of “Kyaa!” and I even heard things like “Wave to us!”

“That’s true. I’m happy about it, but... when they react like that, I’m not sure what I should do.”

“Haha, you did look a little troubled.”

Even though Sei-chan was smiling while the girls were fawning over her, it was a very stiff smile. Well, that kind of smile was fresh and cute, too.

“Hmph. If you’re going to say that, you were popular with the girls too, weren’t you, Hisamura?”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yes. At the party just now, you were surrounded by girls and talking to them, weren’t you?”

“That was because they rescued me when I was wandering around by myself.”

I was honestly grateful that they picked me up after I’d fled from where Yūichi and the others were. But I feel bad saying this, I can’t match a single one of their faces to their names. Though I do remember Satō-san, Itō-san, Gotō-san, and Katō-san were there.

“...Before the match against Tōjōin in today’s tournament, we talked about having a punishment game.”

“Hm? You did?”

The subject changed so suddenly. I wonder what’s up.

“Yeah. It was a simple punishment game where the loser has to do what the winner says. And the punishment game Tōjōin wanted if she won was... for you and I to make our relationship public.”

“Huh? Why?”

At the content of that punishment game, I let out a simple, questioning voice. Why would Tōjōin-san choose a punishment game that involved making our relationship public?

“For Tōjōin, hiding the fact that we’re dating seems to make no sense. She also said that if we made it public, we could, um, be more lovey-dovey...”

“That’s an attractive offer.”

Hearing we could be more lovey-dovey, I couldn’t help but mutter that.

At that, Sei-chan’s cheeks reddened slightly, and she furrowed her brow as if deep in thought.

“Of course, I won, so that punishment game is off the table, but if you want to, Hisamura... I’m thinking we could make it public.”

“Huh? Are you sure?”

We haven’t told anyone but our close friends that we’re dating because Sei-chan said it would be embarrassing to make it public.

“I was the one who said I didn’t want to make it public in the first place; it was my selfish request. And as Tōjōin said, there are certainly advantages to making it public.”

“...Advantages?”

“Like I said before, being, um, more lovey-dovey and all...”

Sei-chan was cute as she said that shyly, but the atmosphere was serious now, so I didn’t tease her.

“By making it public, we can keep other people of the opposite sex from getting too close, or rather...”

Sei-chan said, looking a little down and apologetic.

“...I see.”

The reason Sei-chan is hesitating about making it public is probably because of that.

It’s very surprising, but Sei-chan is jealous. The look she gave the girls who approached me after the baseball game ended. And at the party just now, she seemed bothered that I was talking with other girls.

To be blunt, I’m incredibly happy that she’s jealous. So happy I could sprout wings, fly around, and dance.

But it’s not good that Sei-chan is feeling bad or anxious. While I’m ecstatic that she gets jealous, preventing her from feeling that way is the absolute priority.

And of course, if I saw Sei-chan being hit on by other guys, I’d probably get deathly jealous, or rather, anxious. That’s a problem we should solve for each other.

“You don’t want to make it public, right, Sei-chan?”

“Right. The reason I don’t want to make it public is partly because it’s embarrassing, but more than that... rather than showing off something important to me, I want to treasure it and keep it... all to myself.”

“Hk!”

Wh-What was that...?!

That makes me too happy, and it’s too cute...!

I never imagined Sei-chan felt that way.

As I stood there, speechless with surprise and joy, Sei-chan gasped and her face turned bright red.

“Ah, no, um...! That was just a figure of speech, or rather, me exaggerating my feelings... Ah, it’s not that I don’t think of you as a treasure, Hisamura...!”

“I get it. Let’s calm down, Sei-chan. We’re both going to die at this rate.”

We’d both die of embarrassment.

Since both my face and Sei-chan’s were bright red, we took a deep breath to calm down.

While I was taking deep breaths, I thought for a moment.

I understood how Sei-chan felt. She treasures me—something that makes me very, truly, very happy. That’s why she doesn’t want to tell other people we’re dating; she wants to keep me all to herself.

...Just organizing my thoughts makes me even more happy and embarrassed.

Calm down, me. Don’t self-destruct.

Sei-chan doesn’t want to tell anyone precisely because she treasures me. But, surprisingly, she’s also quite jealous, so seeing me talk to other girls makes her anxious. Sei-chan must be struggling a bit with that dilemma.

For her sake, I have to resolve it.

If that’s the case, then what needs to be done might be simple.

“Sei-chan, I have a suggestion.”

“What is it?”

“Making things public is fine, but I don’t think we need to say that we’re dating.”

“...What do you mean?”

“I mean, what if we both just announce that we’re ‘dating someone,’ without saying who that person is?”

What Sei-chan dislikes is other girls going after me... I think. I’m not really sure if they’re actually going after me, but it must look that way to her. And I definitely wouldn’t like seeing other guys hitting on Sei-chan either.

If that’s the case, we just need to let others know that there’s no chance for them.

“If we let it be known that we have a boyfriend or girlfriend, we can rest a little easier, right? If someone asks who we’re dating, I think we can just say it’s a secret and that’ll be the end of it.”

“...I see. There was that option.”

“Besides, if we say it’s a secret who we’re dating, it’ll be a secret just between the two of us... and that’s kind of nice, isn’t it?”

It’s a kind of happiness I can’t quite explain, but I like the feeling of sharing a secret as a couple, like it’s our own little treasure.

When I said that, Sei-chan’s eyes widened, and then her cheeks relaxed into a happy smile.

“You’re right. That’s a very... wonderful idea.”

“Well, there are people who know we’re dating, so it’s not exactly a secret just between the two of us.”

“Fufu, that’s true. Shiho, Tōjōin, and Shigemoto know, after all.”

Sei-chan said with a cute smile.

Yeah, I definitely prefer seeing Sei-chan smiling like that.

As I thought that and my own cheeks loosened, Sei-chan offered an even gentler smile.

“Thank you, Tsukasa.”

“No, it was nothing... huh?”

I stopped my reply mid-sentence.

As I stared at Sei-chan with wide eyes, she gave me a mischievous smile.

“Fufu, what’s wrong, Tsukasa?”

“Huh? No, my name...”

“What about your name? Your name is Tsukasa, isn’t it?”

“Hk... That’s not fair, Sei-chan.”

Feeling like Sei-chan had gotten the better of me, I couldn’t help but laugh. I never expected her to use my first name here. I could feel my own face turning a little red.

“Fufu, you’ve been the one doing it to me all this time. Getting you back like this is quite fun.”

“...I see. So, Sei-chan, if getting me back is fun, does that mean you enjoy it when I do it to you, too?”

“Hk! Th-That’s not what I meant...!”

“Then what did you mean?”

“Grh...!”

Sei-chan glared at me, but since her cheeks were red, it wasn’t scary at all. In fact, my only thought was that she was cute.

I really do love seeing Sei-chan’s adorable reactions.

...Though I don’t dislike it when she gets me back, either.

Of course, I’ll keep that to myself.

 

◇　◇　◇

 

“Phew...”

Soaking in the bath, Sei let out a sigh of pleasure.

She had been exercising intensely for the past three days, something she hadn’t done much of recently, so this bath time felt especially comforting. However, that intense exercise had been for today’s ball game tournament, so she probably wouldn’t be exercising that seriously again for a while.

Since her class won the tournament, they had a party. For some reason, Tōjōin, her fiercest competitor, had rented out a restaurant for them, so it was an incredibly lavish affair for a high school party.

Sei spent more time talking with the other girls in her class rather than with Shiho, who she was usually with. It was new and fun, but there was something that had been bothering her the entire time.

Her boyfriend, Tsukasa, had been talking with a group of girls the whole time. What’s more, among them was someone who had said they were going after Tsukasa, so it was only natural for her, as his girlfriend, to be concerned.

But from what she overheard of their conversation at the time... she recalled what Tsukasa had said then and her face turned red.

“Grh... That guy, saying things like that to other people without a hint of shame...!”

Her heart had skipped a beat when Tsukasa said he had someone he liked. She thought he was going to say they were dating.

But he didn’t say that, instead bragging to the girls under the pretense of having a one-sided crush. Listening to it, Sei had been so happy and embarrassed that she had to desperately hold back a grin.

 

And then... the after-party for two at a nearby park after slipping out of the party.

Sei had been a little nervous sending Tsukasa a RINE message suggesting they slip away. It was hard to imagine Tsukasa refusing, but he had been having such a good time talking with all those girls. She had worried about what she would do if he turned her down, but her fears were unfounded.

He replied right away, saying he wanted to talk with her. Seeing his reply, Sei had once again forced herself not to grin. She was grinning now just thinking about it, so she wanted to praise herself for holding it in back then.

But she did feel she should reflect on the fact that she had made Tsukasa wait a little, even though she was the one who invited him. It was no excuse that the girls around her had held her up when she tried to leave. She had apologized properly, but Tsukasa didn’t seem to mind at all.

And so, their private party began.

At first, they talked lightly about the ball game tournament... and then, they talked about the punishment game with Tōjōin. That’s when Sei confessed what had been troubling her.

Should she make their relationship public?

Seeing Tsukasa being approached by other girls had made Sei more jealous than she had ever expected. Tōjōin had done various things to keep other women away from Shigemoto, and now Sei could understand that feeling a little.

She was anxious, after all. What if the person she loved was stolen away by another girl? She wouldn’t have felt that strongly if Tsukasa had just been talking normally with girls, but today, one of the girls he was talking to had explicitly declared she was “going after” him. That was likely why her jealousy and anxiety had flared up so strongly.

As for Sei, she still wanted to keep her relationship with Tsukasa a secret. She wanted to make it their own secret, their treasure. But if she did that, other girls would hit on Tsukasa. She had started to think it would be better to make it public than to harbor such anxious feelings.

When she told Tsukasa that... he respected her desire to keep it a secret and even proposed a solution that would ease her anxiety.

It was true that if they both announced they were “dating someone” and kept “who it is a secret,” the worry of being hit on would likely decrease. It was a very simple solution, but it hadn’t occurred to Sei.

Tsukasa had carefully considered her feelings and given her a very good suggestion. He was so kind, reliable... and yet he had his cute side, too.

“Ah… I really do love you, Tsukasa.”

Soaking in the bath, Sei’s cheeks relaxed as she unintentionally let her inner thoughts spill out. If she had let that slip in front of Tsukasa, she might have turned bright red and piled on excuses. Though what kind of excuse she could make for her current murmur of “I really do love you” was unclear.

But right now, she was alone in the bath. Murmuring her thoughts about her boyfriend wasn’t a bad thing... in fact, Sei even found it pleasant.

 

“Hmph, speaking of which, I have to tell Tōjōin her punishment game.”

Sei remembered as she got out of the bath, returned to her room, and looked at her phone.

While having a private celebration with just Tsukasa, the topic came up, and she asked him, “What would be a good punishment game?”

Sei had won, fueled by her determination to avoid the punishment game and emerge victorious, but she hadn’t given a single thought to what kind of punishment she would actually assign.

In the first place, it was Tōjōin who had proposed the punishment game, so it was probably unreasonable to expect her to come up with something so quickly.

So, she decided to think of a punishment game for Tōjōin together with Tsukasa and consulted him about it.

And Tsukasa… came up with a very good punishment game.

Of course, it was completely fine from an ethical standpoint; in fact, it was a punishment game that involved doing something good.

But for Tōjōin, it would likely be quite humiliating.

To let her know, she would have to send her a message on RINE.

She had exchanged RINE contacts with Tōjōin around the time they started eating lunch together at school.

But they’d never had any reason to message each other until now, so this would be her first time.

She opened the chat screen with Tōjōin and typed out a message.

‘Tōjōin, you haven’t forgotten about the punishment game, have you? The details have just been decided.’

She typed that and hit send.

As expected, a reply didn’t come right away, but one arrived about five minutes later.

‘Of course I remember. So, what kind of punishment is it?’

Sei couldn’t help but smirk a little as she typed out the details of the punishment game.

She could just picture Tōjōin’s frustrated face.

‘The punishment game is, for some time on either Saturday or Sunday this week──’

Send. It was marked as read immediately.

Some time passed after it was read, and then a reply came.

‘To think you’d make me do something like that… You’ve got some nerve. Did you come up with this all on your own, Shimada-san?’

‘No, Hisamura came up with most of it. When I told him about the punishment game, he suggested this right away.’

She decided to be honest here.

And she referred to Tsukasa as “Hisamura.”

Of course, she only call Tsukasa by his first name when they’re alone, just as he only calls her “Sei-chan” when they’re alone.

‘I knew it. Very well. Would Saturday be all right? I’ll clear my schedule.’

‘Got it. Try to enjoy the punishment game.’

‘If I’m going to do it, I’ll do it with everything I’ve got.’

And with that, their RINE conversation ended.

Saturday’s going to be fun, Sei thought as she put down her phone, once again recalling her conversation with Tsukasa during their private celebration.

“...Come to think of it, Tsukasa also said he’d give me a reward.”

After they had talked about the punishment game, Tsukasa had said, “Then I’ll give you a victory reward, Sei-chan.”

‘A reward?’

‘You beat the one and only Tōjōin-san, and you won the ball sports tournament.’

‘In that case, the boys’ team won too, so you also won, Tsukasa.’

‘Now that you mention it, that’s true. But you worked harder, Sei-chan.’

‘I don’t really get it, but… can it be anything?’

‘Anything I can do. Though I obviously can’t get you expensive jewelry or anything.’

‘It’s not like I have that many material desires, you know?’

She had put the matter on hold then, so she needed to think about a reward from Tsukasa soon.

(I don’t have anything in particular I want him to do for me… Have him treat me at a café? No, I wonder about a monetary reward…)

As she was wondering what would be good… she suddenly recalled her conversations with Shiho and Tōjōin.

‘Eh? You mean you haven’t kissed yet?’

‘Come to think of it, Shimada-san, have you at least kissed Hisamura-kun?’

For some reason, they had both spoken on the assumption that she and Tsukasa had already kissed.

“We’ve only been dating for about a month…”

Sei muttered to herself involuntarily.

But it wasn’t as if Sei didn’t want to kiss him.

“...I wonder what Tsukasa thinks.”

She had never seen any particular desire from Tsukasa to kiss her.

She knew that he cherished her.

(Still, the fact that our relationship hasn’t progressed that far as a couple is a little…)

A month had passed, but the only couple-like thing they had done was hold hands.

Their dates were just stopping by a café on the way home from school to chat.

They had stopped by an around one arcade on the way home from school before, but that was more like basketball practice than a date.

Sei, who was a surprising fan of shojo manga, also had a desire to do more of the couple-like things that the protagonists and heroines in manga did.

She couldn’t deny that she also had feelings of wanting him to pat her head, of wanting to be doted on.

But Tsukasa was more of a gentleman than she had expected, and he never sought out such things or tried to make a move.

(It’s not like I’d refuse if he asked for a kiss or something…)

Thinking that far, Sei’s face turned red.

(Ugh, f-for now, I’ll think about the reward another time. If I keep this up, I might end up using the reward for something weird.)

With that thought, Sei tried to go to sleep in her bed, but her mind was filled with strange thoughts, and it took her a long time to fall asleep.

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