Chapter 66
Sports Festival ①
As soon as November began, the Kōchū Academy Sports Festival kicked off.
At this school, the sports festival is organized vertically by grade, with two classes from each grade divided into four teams: Red, Blue, White, and Black.
My class was in the Red Team, wearing the standard red headbands, and a total of six classes from first, second, and third years would compete together.
Each team had a leader chosen from the festival committee, and for the Red Team, surprisingly, a second-year student was made the leader.
The Red Team leader, Kasumi Hōjō, gave the opening cheer for the event:
“Alright—Red Team, let’s win this—!”
“Oooh—!”
“Vice-leader, give the chant!”
“Sigh… put some spirit into it.”
“O… oh~”
The vice-leader, Seiya Kaminagi, had zero enthusiasm.
Seiya’s image had improved since he won first place in the Mister Contest during the school festival and appeared in a first-year play in a stylish costume. People were no longer afraid to talk to him.
Still… his personality hadn’t changed much… so he hadn’t really gained more friends.
Due to certain circumstances, Seiya had been appointed vice-leader by Hōjō and shouted in a low-energy tone.
Still, Hōjō herself was a boyish yet beautiful girl, popular with both boys and girls. She had also finished as runner-up in the national women’s tennis tournament, so her fame within the school was high.
Just based on looks, the combination of Seiya and Hōjō was reassuring to watch.
“Big brother isn’t really the cheering squad type.”
“But as a friend, it’s fun to watch Seiya join in on stuff like this.”
Tsukiyo and I, just ordinary Red Team members, were observing nearby. Luckily, Tsukiyo’s class was also in the Red Team, so all our close friends were on the same team.
We all wanted to unite and win.
“Taiyō, you’ll really show your track-and-field skills today, right?”
“I’ll try my best without falling over.”
Since there would be some physical activity today, Tsukiyo had tied her hair in a ponytail. Seriously, ponytail Tsukiyo is cute.
Talking with her, I felt like eyes were watching us from all directions—were they looking at her, or were they plotting to curse me?
It had been three months since I started spending more time with Tsukiyo… she seemed to have grown and become even more beautiful. She got confessed to almost every day, and at the school festival’s campfire recently, she was confessed to by twenty people at once—a record-breaking event.
She had feelings for me. But I had to forget that night… since I had told her it never happened.
The most exciting part would probably be the first cheer battle after lunch. The leader and vice-leader would do their best… and then Tsukiyo and I would compete in the cultural club relay.
It was amusing that I would participate not as a member of the track team but as a helper for the home economics club.
Individual events were held, and points were accumulated. The Red Team was in second place—a decent position.
Naturally, the physical education classes were strong. Born to excel in sports, they could win first place even in events outside their specialty.
In our group, only Hōjō and Sera were outstanding, but there were special-track students who could even outrun PE students in sprints.
The Kaminagi siblings and Kudono were perfect athletes, able to handle anything. Seiya might even be faster than me, a sprint specialist.
Thanks to these perfect athletes, by the time we caught up to first place with ten points, it was time for the lunch break.
Lunch was free-style…
“Seiya, want some tea?”
“Kaminagi, pass me a tissue.”
“Kaminagi, could I have a plate?”
“Seiya, here’s a hand towel.”
“Seiya, here… take this.”
“Sei-chan, Hii-chan will feed you!”
Doesn’t this group have a strong harem vibe? So many people talking at once that you can’t even tell who’s speaking.
Looking at it this way, a group with a 2:8 male-to-female ratio is terrifying. Six girls surrounding Seiya Kaminagi, while Tsukiyo, Sera, and I eat a little apart.
All six girls around Seiya were beautiful. I could feel the jealous stares from the Red Team boys… maybe admiration? It was hard to tell. And they even glanced at me talking to Tsukiyo and Sera—please, stop that.
I’m fine just being a background character.
“Looking at him like this, Seiya-senpai really is popular.”
“But apparently, fewer people have been confessing to Seiya lately. Last week, only one person did.”
“Eh, why’s that?”
It was probably because the predatory girls around him were too strong. If Tsukiyo made her own reverse harem, maybe the number of confessions she received would decrease too…
…I don’t want to see that happen.
Seiya and I met eyes. I could tell he was silently asking for help. I conveyed “Don’t be stupid” with my eyes.
Seiya’s meal was being eaten by the surrounding girls. Seeing that only one out of six girls got the correct portion was kind of amusing. Besides Mizusato, the other girls seemed terrible at cooking. Being fed subpar food was rough.
Meanwhile, the three of us enjoyed Tsukiyo’s incredibly delicious lunch.
“Tsukiyo, your cooking’s even better today. Did you change something?”
“Really? I don’t think it’s changed.”
“Do you have a boyfriend now?”
“Phuh!!”
Sera’s teasing at Tsukiyo was deliberate and cruel. Conversations like this between girls are hard to join. Tsukiyo choked, unable to hold her breath.
“You have to savor your meal properly too, senpai.”
“Haha… right. I’d be happy to eat Tsukiyo’s cooking every day.”
“Why don’t you just get married?”
“Goh!”
“Sera, calm down a little.”
Flustered Tsukiyo was cute, but I felt sorry for her, so I decided to help. I ignored my older brother, who was turning blue from being fed weird food.
After the cheer battle, the important cultural club relay for me was about to begin.
