After school, Haruya came to the station after getting ready.
Today, he had promised to go buy wristbands with his comrade, Nayu.
The meeting place was the fountain in front of the station.
Listening to the sound of flowing water, Haruya focused his mind.
Today’s school day was tiring.
Because, from Kazamiya, “Takamori-san seems to be feeling better! Is this love? What do you think, Akasaki?” he had been enthusiastically approached.
Even though Yuna had just returned to her usual self, she hadn’t become particularly cheerful.
At least, that’s how it seemed from Haruya’s perspective… but the reactions around him were different.
Not only Kazamiya, but most of his classmates were surprised by Yuna’s change.
He couldn’t help but think his classmates were rather idle.
At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for the S-class beauties who stood out at school.
“Sorry to keep you waiting…”
As Haruya waited for a while at the meeting place, Nayu, respectfully, ran up to him.
“Um…”
Upon recognizing Yuna, Haruya unintentionally choked on his words.
It was because her trademark was gone.
Her attire exuded the usual adult woman’s vibe, beautiful as always.
But her eyes, which should have been hidden, were now clearly visible.
Because she had removed her sunglasses.
“What happened to… your sunglasses?”
“Uh… yeah. If Haru-san is coming to the game, it’s okay to reveal my face… I thought.”
Twirling her hair with her finger, Yuna seemed somewhat unsettled.
“I see. Well, I think it suits you… Well then, shall we go buy wristbands?”
“Um… yeah.”
While slightly pursing her lips, Yuna followed behind Haruya.
It seemed she wanted to see Haruya more flustered.
His attitude seemed more relaxed like “Oh, I think it’s okay” than she expected, so she felt a bit dissatisfied.
But, from Haruya’s perspective, seeing Nayu’s true face wasn’t something new.
So it was inevitable that his surprise would be lessened.
“… Haru-san is such an idiot.”
“Huh, why am I being cursed at?”
“Dunno.”
When he turned around, he was turned away.
He wonder why.
Nayu seemed to emit a negative aura from behind.
Haruya keenly felt it.
They found a sports shop not far from the station.”
In the evening, due to the bustling pedestrian traffic, several customers could be seen inside the shop through the window.
It seems to be quite prosperous.
“Feels nostalgic somehow…”
She was lost in thought in front of the store.
Back in middle school, she must have been a patron of a similar sports shop.
Haruya and Nayu promptly made their way into the store.
“Wow, I didn’t know there were so many types of wristbands.”
“Haru, have you never used wristbands before?”
“No, never.”
They browsed through the shelves of wristbands, dazzled by the variety.
“Hmm… this is a bit of a dilemma.”
“What’s wrong?”
She didn’t react to his inquiry.
It seemed she had entered her own world, pondering over two products in her hands.
Haruya stood by her side and casually asked again.
“Which one seems better?”
“…Well, both seem to have the latest version, so I’m having trouble deciding.”
It seemed Haruya’s assessment was correct after all.
The wristbands she held were black and blue.
Although there were various differences in performance and color, Haruya didn’t quite understand.
Anyway, he took both wristbands from her and picked up one for himself, heading towards the cashier.
“Hey, Haru… What are you doing?”
“I’d like to treat myself to both this time. And I’m thinking of getting this wristband for myself.”
“That’s a bit much…”
“Nayu has always helped me out. Besides, I want to repay her for last night as well.”
Upon hearing this, Nayu fell silent for a moment before nodding modestly.
“W-well then… I’ll accept your kind offer… Thank you.”
Haruya headed to the cashier with three wristbands in hand.
By the way, the total price was about 3,000 yen,
It was a little more expensive than he expected.
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**
Haruya and Nayu moved to a nearby park and relaxed on a bench.
When Haruya took out the wristbands again, Nayu stared intently at the blue and black wristbands.
Could these wristbands have a hypnotic effect?
Haruya couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Nayu, why don’t you try wearing the wristband? Since we got them.”
“…Sorry, it’s just that these wristbands are of a level I don’t usually buy, so I got carried away…”
She put her head in her hands once and then nodded.
“Haha. It seems like it’s a really good one… this wristband.”
“Yeah, because it was expensive, right? It seems to have excellent sweat absorption, and the texture must be good too…”
“Oh, Nayu, lend it to me.”
Again, she seemed to be hesitating, so Haruya impatiently opened the blue wristband. It was indeed a high-quality wristband, despite the high price.
“Can you show me your wrist?”
“Huh…”
Nayu looked at Haruya with surprise.
“Well, I can put it on myself…”
“No, Nayu, if I let you choose between black and blue again, you’ll just hesitate, won’t you?”
“…T-that’s not…”
She couldn’t deny it.
That’s why Haruya couldn’t stand still and decided to put the wristband on her himself.
As he gazed at Nayu, she seemed to give up and sighed.
“…I guess there’s no helping it.”
She turned her face away with a pout, but obediently held out her wrist.
Nayu’s arm was fair and delicate.
Haruya spread out the blue wristband and looped it around Nayu’s wrist.
“…Hmm.”
For a moment, perhaps because it tickled, a slightly seductive voice assaulted his ears.
Whether she was holding back her voice or not, it became even more provocative, and Haruya instinctively looked away.
“You… look good. I thought black would suit you too, but I felt blue suited you better, Nayu.”
That was close.
Although it didn’t show on his face, his voice inadvertently became faster.
“W-why are you so calm about this…”
In a whisper almost inaudible to Haruya, Nayu muttered.
She blushed, but seemed frustrated.
Because Haruya seemed so composed.
(…This isn’t funny. He doesn’t seem flustered at all, even though he’s seeing my true face… And he’s so casually putting wristbands on girls, such a sneaky thing to do? Haru.)
Just remembering the act from earlier made her feel embarrassed.
She wanted Haru to feel the same way… She smirked, lifting the corners of her mouth.
“…Speaking of which, Haru. You bought a blue wristband like mine earlier. The same one as mine.”
“Oh, right.”
He didn’t aim for it intentionally.
He just happened to pick up a wristband that was nearby.
It just happened to be a coincidence that they ended up matching.
“As a thank you for letting me wear it earlier, I’ll put yours on this time.”
“N-no, that’s not necessary…”
For some reason, Haruya felt hesitant because Nayu’s face seemed scary.
“No need to hold back, Haru-san.”
An overwhelming pressure that left no room for objection.
Yuna was smiling, but her face wasn’t.
Haruya couldn’t form any words of rejection towards her demeanor.
“…I, I understand.”.
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
With those words, she spread out a blue wristband and slid it onto Haruya’s arm.
The smooth texture felt nice against his wrist, bringing a slight comfort.
(Is he starting to feel the same way as me with this…?)
Cool as ever, she lifted her face, only to find Haruya’s face right in front of hers.
Their faces were close.
Very close.
Yuna quickly averted her gaze… and turned away.
(Why does such a cliché moment have to happen now…? It’s like we’re some couple, Haru and I…)
At that moment, Yuna looked at her wrist and then at Haruya’s.
She realized it. It was too late for her to notice now.
Matching accessories.
When a man and a woman wear the same thing, it’s as if they’re already a couple,
As if they also wear each other’s clothes.
Yuna felt her face flush with embarrassment.
Haruya, at a loss for words, casually remarked,
“Oh… we’re matching, Nayu-san.”
She hurriedly said, “I-I’m leaving… I’ll contact you again,” and dashed away.
///
scene transition
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“Why? Why all of a sudden!?”
“I don’t know… Haru-san is an idiot.”
Sticking out her tongue, she stormed off like a whirlwind.
(Oh no… I might have done something to make her dislike me again.)
With drooping shoulders, Haruya headed home.
That night, he received a message from her containing the address of Eika High School.
It was for the basketball game venue.
(Well, that’s where I go to school anyway…)
Since she replied, it seemed he wasn’t disliked, which relieved Haruya deeply.
(Oh, sometimes Haru-san is clueless… He doesn’t understand the female heart, )
(even though he’s supposed to enjoy shoujo manga… Strange.)
Yuna chuckled softly to herself.
At night,
after finishing her preparations for bed, Yuna sent messages to Sara and Rin while playing with her smartphone.
She told them she joined the basketball club
Yuna tells them that there is a game coming up soon and that she wants them to come to the game.
Yuna sent these two messages.
(They both read the message right away.)
But they didn’t reply immediately.
It was a topic they’d usually be interested in, so Yuna found it odd.
But it was understandable.
Sara was probably recalling recent events.
(Huh? Akasaki-san talked about basketball, and then Yuna-san joined the basketball club… It’s just a coincidence, right?)
And Rin was…
(Huh? Onii san also talked about basketball… Could it be… No, that can’t be just a coincidence.)
Both were taking their time to reply, thinking about Haruya’s face.
A few minutes later, Yuna received messages from Sara and Rin saying they would come watch the game.
Yuna’s expression relaxed involuntarily.
(Oh? Even if you joined the basketball club, normally you won’t play in the game as a new member, right?)
Realizing this fact, Yuna panicked.
She had already invited Haru, Sara, and Rin to the game. There was no turning back now.
It would be the worst if she couldn’t play in the game.
But there was still hope.
(Oh, maybe I messed up…)
At that moment, Yuna could only force a wry smile.
The next day, she hurriedly consulted her homeroom teacher about it.
It seemed she could play in the last set, though Yuna couldn’t fathom why the teacher was so understanding.
(Well, at least I got a guarantee that I can play in the game. Onoi, I’ll face you properly too.)
Yuna whispered to Onoi, who wasn’t there.
The time until the match was almost up.
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