“Well, I just noticed a lot of people were looking at her. That’s all.”
Not sure why she was upset, Saito explained his intention, and Lily fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“……How do you feel about her?”
She was asking about Koyuki.
What he asked was a common question: What did he think of her?
“A beautiful senpai who treats me to juice if I help her.”
“Typical Saito answer.”
It wasn’t a difficult question, so Saito answered honestly. Lily looked both exasperated and somewhat relieved.
Then, she hesitated slightly before looking into Saito’s face and said:
“By the way, do you have a type of girl you like? I’ve never heard, so I’m curious.”
“My type? I haven’t really thought about it.”
[Type of girl]
Since Lily tended to dislike talking about relationships, they usually avoided this topic.
Not expecting the question, Saito pondered for a while.
“Well, someone who’s easy to be with is a must. Also, someone who can do some sports, play games, and cook well. I don’t care much about looks as long as she’s not small like a child with no chest.”
He couldn’t think of a clear image,
but he listed the conditions he thought of.
“Really? Interesting.”
Lily made a meaningful voice responded , turning her face away,
But it also sound like a teasing tone which made Saito frown.
“What? Do you have something to say?”
“Not really… I just realized why you didn’t say anything about a cute girl like Mizuki in our class.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s the thing. Mizuki feels too much like a kid for me.”
“You dislike your own kind.”
“That’s not it! I just can’t see her as a potential romantic interest.”
“Haha, I see. Mizuki would be hurt if she heard that!”
“She wouldn’t care what I think. She has Haruki, after all.”
“That’s true.”
While Saito was slightly irritated, Lily was in an unusually good mood.
Lily teased Saito and laughed heartily,
which left Saito feeling both frustrated and amazed at how quickly her mood could change from annoyed to cheerful.
“What about you? What kind of guys do you like?”
“Me?”
Saito thought it was unfair to be the only one answering questions,
so he asked Lily the same question. She blinked her big eyes and then grinned mischievously.
“So, what kind of person do you think I like?”
“Why do I have to answer after asking the question?”
“Come on, just give it a try.”
Saito intended to get back at her but ended up getting countered instead.
Feeling somewhat dissatisfied, he looked at his childhood friend, who was smiling brightly.
This was a situation where he had no choice but to answer.
His instincts as a childhood friend told him he had to take this seriously, so Saito sighed and started thinking about Lily’s type.
“First, appearance. I have no idea. I’ve never heard Lily say someone is handsome. Next, personality. This is also unclear since she seems to dislike every guy. Well, at least I know she wouldn’t like guys who are shallow and only care about looks. Lastly, financial status. This probably doesn’t matter to her. She doesn’t seem materialistic, and her parents are a bestselling author and a professional photographer who also edits a women’s magazine. She’s not lacking in money… The more I think about it, the less I understand.”
After much thought, Saito realized it was extremely difficult to figure out Lily’s type.
There were no suitable examples among the guys he knew.
As far as he was aware, he was the only guy close to her.
However, saying it was him didn’t feel right.
She saw him as a family member she has known since childhood,
She probably thinks of Saito only as her younger brother who is not good enough for her, plus she has been acting like a big sister to him at every opportunity.
Therefore, he must not be in the same category as the opposite sex or something like that.
So, he had no information to go on.
He didn’t understand a thing.
“A handsome, rich guy.”
In the end, Saito gave a generic answer, and Lily crossed her arms in an X-shape and made a “bzzz” sound to indicate it was wrong.
“Geez, Saito, what do you think of me? It hurts to hear that. I wouldn’t fall for someone like that.”
Lily sighed, feeling unjustly judged, and Saito,
even though he said it, knew it wasn’t true.
But since he couldn’t think of anything,
he had no choice.
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“…… Well, I guess that’s true.”
After explaining his reasoning, Lily seemed slightly disappointed but quickly returned to her usual bright expression and looked straight at him.
“Alright, I’ll tell you. My type is someone I feel comfortable with, who can do some sports, play games, isn’t wimpy, and isn’t indecisive.”
“That’s almost a copy of me.”
The answer was surprisingly similar to Saito’s own answer.
When Saito pointed this out, Lily stuck out her tongue playfully.
It seemed she had deliberately made it similar.
However, there were differences.
At least, he understood she didn’t like indecisive and wimpy guys.
“Sorry for the delay. Let’s start the practice explanation. If you can’t hear, come closer.”
Everyone had finished registering, and it was time for the explanation to begin.
Saito and Lily moved to the back of the group to listen.
“Thank you all for staying after school for this. Today, we’ll do brief introductions and a full relay run. Don’t slack off. Give it your all for the future. That’s all. Split into red and white teams and start your introductions.”
“Yes, sir!”
Unlike the principal’s long-winded speeches, the instructor’s explanation was concise and motivating, filling the students with energy.
The practice session progressed smoothly in a good atmosphere.
But then, a problem arose.
It happened after practice ended, when most students were lingering around.
“Hey, we lost because you messed up the baton pass!”
“Don’t joke around! It was slow, but you got overtaken because you’re slow. Don’t blame me.”
“It’s your fault!”
“No, it’s not!”
Two students from the red team started arguing and got into a physical fight.
It might seem trivial, but about one-fifth of Seira High School’s students were athletes admitted on sports scholarships.
They were often highly competitive and had big egos.
So, when they lost due to a mistake, conflicts were bound to happen.
The reaction of the people around them to these two men shouting and cursing at each other was varied.
Some moved away to avoid getting involved,
some wanted to stop it but were intimidated by their intensity, and some, used to such fights, just ignored it.
Among the bystanders, one girl decided to act.
“Senpais, please stop!”
It was Koyuki.
Unable to bear the unbearable childish fight between the third-year students, she stepped in to mediate.
“Shut up. Don’t get in the way!”
“This is our problem. Outsiders should stay out.”
“Calm down! It’s disgraceful for third-year students to behave like this!”
“Shut up!”
But the boys, completely lost in their anger, didn’t listen to Koyuki. Instead, one of them lashed out in frustration.
Thud!
One of the boys shoved the other hard, making him fall on his backside.
“You bastard! Don’t mess with me. I’ll beat you up!”
The suppressed volcano erupted, and a brawl began.
“Stop it!”
Koyuki cried out in distress at the sight of the third-year students fighting, but her voice didn’t reach the boys who were engrossed in their battle.
The only thing that mattered to them was defeating the other to justify their own opinions.
(This is really bad.)
Saito, who thought Koyuki could stop the two, was caught off guard by the current situation.
As he moved to help Koyuki avoid getting caught in the fight, a dark figure dashed in front of him.
“You’re useless as always. Move aside.”
With a sharp, cold voice and gaze, Takumi appeared in front of Koyuki.
(What is that?)
Saito widened his eyes in surprise at the unfamiliar side of Takumi.
“But!?”
“Then, what can you do? In a situation where words can’t stop them, do you have the resolve to physically intervene?”
“…I…”
Koyuki wasn’t intimidated by Takumi’s imposing presence, but his harsh words quickly deflated her spirit. She bit her lip in frustration and took a step back.
Seeing this, Takumi gave her a bored look before turning his attention to the fighting boys and charging in.
“Ugh!”
Both fists drove into his stomach, making Takumi groan.
“President!”
“Takumi! What are you doing?”
“That should be my line, you fools!”
“Ugh…”
With that, the boys regained a bit of their composure, and Takumi reprimanded them with a powerful shout.
The overwhelming force of his voice made the fighting boys flinch.
“Juniors look up to their seniors. If we, as the top students, act like this, the juniors will follow our example! Have some shame!”
“…Sorry.”
“…Yeah. We were wrong.”
Takumi seized the moment to deliver his lecture, and the two chastised boys fully calmed down, bowing their heads in shame.
“Don’t bother me with such trivial matters. It’s ridiculous.”
Takumi muttered as he rubbed his aching stomach, then started walking towards the school building with unsteady steps.
The three left behind stood there with pained expressions.
(Amazing… But, something feels off.)
Watching from afar, Saito was impressed by Takumi’s display of manliness, but he also felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
Perhaps it was a new side of Takumi that Saito had never seen before.
There was a possibility Takumi was the type to lash out at those around him when angry.
But it felt uncharacteristic of him.
Rather, Saito thought Takumi would usually resolve things more peacefully, even if he were angry.
So why did he act that way?
Saito didn’t know.
He just felt an uncomfortable sensation, like a fishbone stuck in his throat, and couldn’t help but frown.
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