” …And, well, that’s about it. Overall, I had a pretty good time.”
With a calm expression, Yuna concluded her story to Sara and Rin.
“Huh, what’s with that? Y-you, Yuna, you’re… doing something like that?!”
Rin froze in shock.
She must have felt the pain of being left behind.
“Yuna-san, it’s so bittersweet! I want to hear more!”
“Haha, it’s not like I’m in love or anything… But yeah, it wasn’t bad.”
Yuna felt lighter after sharing her experience with Sara and Rin.
“That’s a splendid date. I want one too. A love like Sara-chan and Yuna.”
“Well, at least for me, it’s not love, Rin. Don’t worry.”
Although Rin watched them with envy, crossing her arms, the classmates couldn’t hide their surprise as they secretly listened to the exchanges between these S-class beauties.
(Himekawa-san, and now Takamori-san too…?)
(I wonder what kind of guy he is. ……)
(he must be really handsome.)
(I wonder what kind of a guy she’s in love with.)
Whispers echoed throughout the classroom, all about Yuna’s love story.
Now, amidst the lively conversations of their classmates,
Haruya’s mind was blank.
(No way… No, it must be a mistake.)
Otherwise, it would mean that, after Sara, he had inadvertently interacted with Yuna as well…
(An arcade at the shopping mall, then ramen… The more I think about it, the more it feels like déjà vu.)
He had tried not to think about it, but now that he thought about it, he vaguely remembered that Nayu and one of the S-class beauties had the same last name, Takamori.
The more he thought about it, the more his mind screamed that they were the same person.
(No, that’s impossible.)
He repeatedly told himself inwardly that it was impossible for Nayu-san to be in the same class as Himekawa-san.
Especially after the terrible way they parted ways yesterday.
She had rejected him after touching her wounds.
Yet, there was no way she could be talking so cheerfully about yesterday’s events like this.
(That must be it. Let’s just go with that.)
Trying to abandon his thoughts as they started to give him a headache, he was interrupted by a tap on his shoulder.
“…It’s not like that!”
Haruya involuntarily raised his voice.
“I haven’t said anything yet…”
Although Haruya’s response seemed a bit hostile, Kazamiya replied calmly.
“Himekawa-san and now Takamori-san are also talking about love. Lately, even the S-class beauties have been changing── Hey, we’re not done talking yet.”
Haruya refused to engage in conversation and instead buried his face in his desk.
He didn’t want to think about anything right now.
Because he was so confused.
“But, Takamori-san. Ever since the club discussions started happening in the classroom, the atmosphere has changed, but now it’s back to normal, so her date must have been really fun, huh?”
Kazamiya whispered into Haruya’s ear.
“I-I don’t know… Why are you telling me something like that?”
“Because I want to get along well with Akasaki.”
What is the real intent behind this guy’s joking manner…?
Though uninterested, Haruya replied in an annoyed tone.
“Then don’t try to strike up conversation with me.”
“But then we can’t get along, can we? …Hey, cut out the pretend sleeping.”
Amid the buzzing classroom noises.
Haruya’s heart was anything but calm.
Lunch break.
Under the cloudy sky, Haruya visited the rooftop.
Due to the rainy season, he hadn’t been able to access the rooftop for the past few days, so he hadn’t had many opportunities to have lunch with Sara.
But today, since it wasn’t raining, he came up here.
He arrived earlier than Sara, lying on his back and staring at the overcast sky.
Without thinking about anything, just staring blankly at the sky, he felt his tense heart relax slightly.
──Click.
The rusty, broken door opened.
Sara arrived, carrying a bento box, and walked over to him gracefully.
To avoid accidentally seeing Sara’s panties, Haruya lazily got up and picked up his own bento box that he had placed nearby.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Akasaki-san.”
“I didn’t wait that long, so it’s fine.”
“I’m glad we could have lunch together today!”
“Yeah, me too…”
“You seem a little down. Is something wrong?”
Sara keenly sensed something and peered into Haruya’s face.
The reason for his bewilderment was becoming increasingly clear: Yuna = Nayu.
Haruya took a deep breath and opened his lunchbox.
“Sorry. I was just lost in thought.”
“…I, I see.”
While spending the afternoon chatting casually, Sara murmured with a voice that seemed to muster courage.
“Um, um… Would you like to go out with me again?”
“Why, why so suddenly?”
“Well, it’s just… I heard about Yuna-san’s date from a friend in the same class, and it made me jealous.”
Sara glanced up with upturned eyes, fidgeting with her body.
It wasn’t something she was doing intentionally; it just naturally came out this way, which made it hard to dislike.
“But, it’s regrettable that it’s during the rainy season. I, I suffer from migraines… so I’d like to go out together again after the rainy season if that’s okay?”
Since Sara’knows who he is, Haruya couldn’t refuse her.
Moreover, if he were to refuse, he might be seen as the villain in the conversation about S-class beauties, which made him feel sick just thinking about it.
“Going out after the rainy season… understood. That’s fine. But it seems like it’ll be a while; the rainy season hasn’t ended yet.”
Haruya said, looking up at the dull-colored sky.
“But I’m satisfied because we made a promise.”
Sara smiled genuinely, seemingly delighted.
Then, as if remembering something, Sara tugged at Haruya’s sleeve.
“If you break the promise, I’ll use a thousand needles on you, okay? It’s regrettable… but I’ll make you drink ink.”
“Uh, what’s that? That’s scary.”
Haruya couldn’t help but blurt out his true feelings to Sara’s serious expression.
(Well, I’ll keep the promise… but does she really plan to carry out that charm seriously? No, she can’t, right?)
Haruya could only force a wry smile, as he didn’t dare ask for her true intentions.
“By the way, my friend. She had an envy-inducing date.”
As Sara chomped down on her rolled omelet, she changed the subject.
“An envy-inducing date, huh.”
Haruya absentmindedly chewed on his rolled omelet beside Sara…
“Listen to this! What really impressed me was the story of being pushed against the wall in a purikura booth.”
—!
Haruya’s eyes widened involuntarily, and he coughed.
“A-Are you okay!?”
“N-No… It’s not what you think!”
Haruya desperately denied it.
Sara seemed surprised by Haruya’s unexpected reaction, her eyes widening.
“Huh? What do you mean by that…”
“……”
Haruya is in a hurry.
(This is a trap…or rather, I’d really prefer not to hear about this topic.)
There was one reason for that.
He didn’t want to face an unwanted reality.
Trying to change the subject, Haruya intentionally cleared his throat.
“N-No, sorry. It’s nothing. Anyway–“
“There’s more! Apparently she also showed him outfits in the changing room.”
“………”
(Oh no, what do I do? It’s like a weird switch flipped and she’s determined to tell me…)
Stifling a sigh, Haruya shoved his lunchbox into his mouth.
From beside him, the details of someone’s date droned on.
Each one seemed all too familiar, but it must be his imagination. Please, let it be…
Sara continued excitedly.
Haruya hurriedly finished his bento, contemplating a swift retreat from this situation.
After school that day…
Yuna sat in her room, reflecting on her actions of the day while reading a shojo manga.
Talking about love with her friends.
While she had listened to conversations about romance before, it had always been about other people’s love lives, or giving advice.
Today was the first time she had initiated a conversation about romance herself, and it felt like a fresh sensation.
“I feel lighter, and it wasn’t so bad.”
Even when Sara was feeling down, through talking about romance, her spirits seemed to stabilize.
Recently, stress had been building up from basketball.
In an effort to alleviate it, she actively engaged in romantic conversation today.
…And as a result, she felt as if a weight had been lifted, both mentally and physically, so it was a great success.
“I thought listening to others’ stories was more fun, but talking about it myself is surprisingly enjoyable…”
Not just about romance, Yuna tended to stick to listening in most cases.
In fact, even during their usual offline gatherings with Haru, it was often Haru who initiated the conversation. (If things go on like this, even if something unpleasant happens, as long as I can talk about playing with Haru-san, I think I’ll be able to endure it.)
Yuna breathed a sigh of relief.
While she no longer received basketball recruitment offers from the teacher, she could still feel the gazes.
The feeling of being invited to join the basketball team.
She didn’t know when her senpai might invite her to the basketball team again.
And then, there was also Onoi, a former member of the middle school basketball team.
Thinking about that, Yuna’s anxiety seemed to never end.
(Instead of a date, I’ll have to ask Haru-san to help me vent again…)
Yuna opened Haru’s account screen.
[Can you help me vent again?],
Just as she was about to ask, she hesitated.
“No… if I meet Haru again, he’ll definitely bring up basketball,”
she concluded, convinced by yesterday’s diversion.
Though she didn’t want that, Yuna sighed.
“If I meet him again, he’ll definitely bring up basketball.”
It seemed like it would be a while before they could meet again, so she closed her smartphone screen.
Then, scratching her head, Yuna opened the closet door.
She picked up the basketball she had tucked away deep inside and looked down at it.
Suddenly, from the ball, she felt a strong urge, as if it were saying, “Come back.”
“No, it’s no use… I’ve already abandoned that ‘myself’…”
The smell of the worn-out leather ball evoked memories of the past.
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