Chapter 15 Event Prepartion And A Break In Between

Few days had passed, and it was now in the month of June.

Sayla had returned with top condition. Now that the midterms have ended, the school is ready for the sports festival.

During the lunch break and after school, each class would practice their events, and it was always hectic and lively. Perhaps because of this, more and more people spent their days in gym clothes or jerseys.

Yamato’s class, the 2B class, was no different, and they were working hard to practice together. This naturally meant that the time Yamato and Sayla spent together had shortened.

One day, during lunchtime.

After practicing jump rope, Yamato and Sayla were about to move to the rooftop together.

“Saint, may I have a word with you?”

May approached Sayla with a nervous look on her face. It seemed like she had something important to say.

“I’ll meet you there.”

Yamato read the air and said, then quickly left the place.

He then waited on the roof for about five minutes.

Sayla appeared in her gym uniform and sat down next to Yamato as if nothing had happened.

“Ummm, what was that all about earlier? …Is it alright for me to ask what it was about?”

“Ah, she asked me to join some kind of cheerleading. I refused.”

“You refused huh.”

“Eh, I can’t?”

“No, it’s not that you can’t…”

Yamato had the impression that the cheerleading at the sports festival was synonymous with youth. Sayla was invited to join such a group, and he felt that it would be a shame for her to turn it down right away.

Then a realization hit Yamato.

“But wasn’t the application for cheerleading closed a long time ago? I wonder why they approached you now.”

“I heard the other cheerleading members wanted to liven things up, so they told her to reach out to me.”

As she bit into the bread, Sayla spoke as if it was none of her business.

In other words, May was an intermediary to invite Sayla into the cheerleading group.

Originally, cheerleading was only for those who wanted to join, but then students like Sayla wouldn’t join. That was why they decided to invite Sayla half-heartedly through May.

In this case, May was certainly the right person for the job. She was a cheer member, had a good personality, and above all, she was in the same class as Sayla.

As May’s “comrade” and knowing how she felt about Sayla, Yamato felt sympathy for her.

May had encouraged Yamato to visit Sayla and helped him on several other occasions. Maybe she didn’t know about it, but Yamato was grateful for her actions.

For these reasons, Yamato couldn’t bring himself to just sit back and watch.

“I see. But shouldn’t you think a little more about cheerleading?”

Yamato decided to say something out of character.

Yamato didn’t know if May herself wanted Sayla to join cheerleading.

However, since they had come to ask Sayla, even if it was through someone else, Yamato thought May would not be opposed to it.

“Hmmm, it’s going to take up a lot of my time, you know? Especially after school.”

As Sayla had said, the week leading up to the sports festival would be a week full of almost daily obligations. Not to mention the lunch and after-school practice, there would be no time for Sayla and Yamato to hang out.

Of course, Yamato didn’t think too much about it either. In the end, it was up to Sayla to decide what she wanted to do. But May had asked her to do it, so Yamato hoped that Sayla would think about it a little more.

“…I’ve never participated in anything like that before, but sure there is other stuff that is fun. Although the practice itself could be tough, and there would be people you don’t get along with.”

“Does Yamato want to join the cheer team?”

Sayla asked with a surprised look on her face.

Indeed, what Yamato said could have been taken that way.

“No, not really. If I wanted to join, I would have applied long ago. But in Shirase’s case, since Tamaki-san had invited you, I thought you should consider it properly.”

“And I owe her some jelly.”

After finishing the bread, Sayla took a breath and stood up with a bounce.

“Okay, I’ll do it if Yamato’s in too.”

“Heh?”

“Cheerleading. I thought I could do it if Yamato was with me.”

“Yeah, I’ll join the cheer… What!?”

Seeing Yamato’s confusion, Sayla smiled in amusement.

“If we do it together, we won’t lose any time to be together.”

As expected of Sayla, to be able to say these words without a speck of embarrassment.

Yamato blushed, but he managed to respond.

“T-That being said, I don’t think anyone wants me to join the cheer team.”

“I thought it might be fun if Yamato was with me.”

“Ugh… then, I’ll put it this way. No one wants that, except Shirase.”

“I don’t think they’d object.”

Sayla didn’t seem to be fazed by Yamato’s best efforts to resist.

However, Yamato continued to argue to no avail.

“Surely the lack of practice from a new member with no particular merit will only disrupt their harmony.”

“Then you can practice with me. Let’s get good enough so that they won’t complain.”

“You make it sound so easy…”

To say that he was not confident enough to perform decently was too pathetic for Yamato to state.

(Shirase is stubborn, or rather, she tries to tackle everything she’s interested in.)

Normally, Yamato would respect this aspect of Sayla’s life, but this time, he harbored bitter feelings about it.

However, if Sayla didn’t participate, Yamato would feel bad for May.

“…All right. I’ll join the cheerleading team if you agree to it.”

When Yamato answered reluctantly, Sayla reached out her hand to him happily.

“Then I’ll go tell Tamaki-san that.”

“Right…”

Yamato took her hand and stood up, and then called out to Sayla’s back as she tried to move on.

“And this. I better return this before I forget.”

Yamato took out the key to Sayla’s house that he had put in his wallet and tried to return it.

However, Sayla didn’t accept it, and stopped Yamato’s hand.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to give it back. Also, I didn’t tell you to give it back.”

“But this is a spare key to your house. Is it fine for me to keep it?”

“Yeah. But if it’s bothering you, you can give it back.”

When she said that, she was hinting to Yamato to not return it.

“…I’ll keep it then. If Shirase catches a cold again, I won’t have to ask you to get up to open the door”

“Yes.”

Yamato was worried about whether it was okay for Shirase to give the spare key to her house to someone of the opposite gender so casually, but Sayla didn’t seem to mind at all. Her trust made Yamato’s heart beat faster.

“Thank you, Shirase.”

Muttering to himself, Yamato followed Sayla’s lead.

When Yamato and Sayla returned to the classroom, they immediately told May about joining.

May was surprised to hear that Sayla would be joining, then immediately got in touch with the head of the cheer team.

“—I got an okay. I look forward to working with you both!”

May looked sincerely happy and welcomed Yamato and Sayla.

“Yeah, likewise.”

“Likewise-”

This was how Yamato and Sayla joined cheer. They were then informed that there would be cheerleading practice after school that day.

Yamato, who had never been a member of cheerleading (Or anything else), felt half excited and half anxious.

He then left his gym clothes on and went to his afternoon class.

The first class of the afternoon — fifth period, was literature, and Yamato was feeling very sleepy due to the exhaustion from the lunch break practice.

His seat was by the corridor, so it was inconspicuous. He had trouble paying attention when he was feeling sleepy, and just as his heavy eyelids were about to close…

“Then read this here… Kuraki-kun, please.”

Yamato jumped up when the elderly male teacher mentioned his name.

Confused, he stood up with his textbook, but he couldn’t figure out where he was supposed to read.

At that moment, Eita, who was sitting near the center of the classroom, deliberately opened his mouth.

“The third line on page 43 huh, Kuraki got a tough part~”

Grateful for Eita’s help, Yamato read from the third line of page 43.

Then the teacher nodded without any particular concern, and the class went on again.

Yamato turned to Eita and gestured, “Thank you for your help,” and Eita returned the gesture with a bright smile.

(I was really careless… I’ll have to be more careful next time.)

As Yamato reflected on the situation, he turned his gaze toward Sayla, who was sitting by the window, and their eyes met.

Sayla’s seat was in the second position from the back. In other words, Yamato went out of his way to turn his back, but because of that, he couldn’t just pretend nothing had happened, so he averted his gaze.

Then Sayla tilted her head with a puzzled look on her face. She wasn’t sure why Yamato suddenly averted his gaze. …Embarrassed, Yamato turned back to the front of the classroom.

This completely woke him up from his sleepiness, and from then on, Yamato concentrated on his classes and until the end of school.

“Well, let’s go.”

May approached Yamato and Sayla in a good mood.

As the three of them were about to leave the classroom, Eita shouted in encouragement, “Hang in there~!”

“It seems like Shinjo isn’t in cheerleading.”

As Yamato walked down the corridor, he casually spoke his thoughts, to which May, walking next to him, replied happily.

“A while ago, I asked him if he wanted to join cheerleading and he said, ‘Don’t just think I’m going to join everything!’ ”

“How surprising… I was expecting him to participate in all the activities.”

“Ahaha, that’s so rude~”

Unlike May and Yamato, who were excitedly talking about Eita, Sayla was in a daze as she walked behind Yamato. She looked as if she wanted to say, “Who is Shinjo?”

As they walked for a while, Sayla seemed to remember something and lined up next to May.

“By the way, thanks for the jelly the other day. It was delicious.”

“Ah, yeah, that’s great to hear…”

The moment Sayla spoke to May, she began to fidget.

It was more nerve-wracking for May to be approached by Sayla than Sayla talking to her.

Yamato could understand that feeling a little.

“Ah, sorry, I have to go to the restroom.”

Sayla slipped away, saying this as she passed by the restroom.

At that moment, May patted Yamato on the shoulder.

“I was so nervous just now. Mou, I can’t take it anymore…”

May was talking excitedly, similar to the time when Sayla came alongside her earlier. Her face was bright red, and even tears seemed to be blotting the corners of her eyes.

“…T-That’s good for you.”

“Why are you pulling away? I thought Kuraki-kun would understand me!”

“No, I can’t keep up with that exaggeration of a response!”

“Yeah~ Because the saint smelled so good… When she talks in that husky voice, it makes my ears happy.”

“Uh, I’m a guy and even I feel like I have a problem commenting on that topic…”

“Don’t be so sure! At least I think it’s fine between us! I’m not going to neglect you for it.”

“Really?”

“Really really.”

The skepticism in Yamato faded as she smiled at him like a small animal would.

“Then, umm… Shirase has a beautiful voice, and I wonder why she smells so good—Ah!”

Just as Yamato made this perverted comment, Sayla came out of the bathroom.

Their eyes met, but Sayla had her usual poker face on. Because of this, Yamato couldn’t tell if she had heard the conversation they had just now.

When Yamato turned to May to ask for help, she was looking in the other direction with an indifferent face. …She controlled herself in front of Sayla.

With no help from his comrade, Yamato has no choice but to clear up the misunderstanding by himself.

“No, that’s not what I just said. That… yeah, I was talking about fabric softener!”

“Talking about that right when I got out of the bathroom.”

Sayla seemed to have heard Yamato’s comment and came close to Yamato.

May, apparently feeling sorry for Yamato, stepped in between the two of them to mediate.

“But, but! We’re all going to be covered in dust after this anyway, and we can’t be bothered with smells during the sports festival!”

She smiled at him, but Yamato resisted the urge to say, “Aren’t you the one who started the whole smell thing?”

It was unknown what kind of situation Sayla imagined, but her face twisted in disgust.

“I guess so. But I think I’d like to avoid that if possible.”

Yamato, who had just made a mess, was unable to say anything, and in the meantime, they arrived at the first floor of the club building where the cheerleading team was gathered.

There were already dozens of students in gym uniforms, and if these were all members of the cheerleading team, it was an impressive scale.

“Oh, May’s here!”

A bright-looking female student noticed them and waved to May.

In response to the voice, a serious-looking female student with black hair in a ponytail approached them. Contrary to the impression of her stiff appearance, she had a gentle smile on her face.

“Hi, I’m Yanagi, a third-year student, the leader of the red team. Tamaki-san, thanks for bringing Shirase-san here. And you’re Kuraki-kun, right?”

This person, Yanagi, was the one who asked May to invite Sayla. Yamato, who had thought he was dealing with a boy, was caught off-guard.

Incidentally, the sports festival at Ao Saki High School was color-coded by class, but apart from that, classes A through D were roughly classified as the red team and the rest were the white team.

Hence, Yamato and the other students of B class became part of the red team, and they would be under Yanagi’s command in the group.

“I’m Shirase.”

“Umm. I’m Kuraki Yamato. It’s nice to meet you.”

Hearing their greetings, Yanagi’s smile deepened.

“Yeah, likewise. I’ll also introduce you to the leader of the white team. —Takao-kun, come here.”

The boy called Takao turned around and walked straight up to them.

He was tall with light brown hair and had the appearance of a cheerful guy, but unlike Eita, he has an even sturdier physique. Which made Yamato wonder if he was involved in martial arts.

“I’m Takao, a third-year student who has been assigned as the cheerleading leader of the white team. Nice to meet you second-year duo!”

When Takao asked for a handshake, Yamato reacted quickly, but Sayla just bailed with a simple “Hi”.

What was up with the “second-year duo”? The relationship between Yamato and Sayla was already widely known. Since they don’t have many opportunities to interact with other grades, Yamato only now realized how well known they were.

After the self-introductions, Yanagi gave them instructions for the future.

“You’re both in the red team, right? At first, you’ll have to watch everyone practice so that you can learn the choreography, but if you think you can jump in, feel free to do so.”

That was all she said, and then she clapped her hands.

“All right then, everybody, let’s get practicing!”

“““OHHH—!”””

The members of the team responded in unison to Yanagi’s shout.

The scene was so similar to a typical athletic club that Yamato almost regretted his decision to join.

They started practicing the cheerleading performance and danced in sync with the sound of the drums.

It was truly a sight to behold as they performed unison movements expressively with serious expressions on their faces.

When the performance was over, Sayla poked Yamato on the shoulder.

“I think I may have already got it down. What about Yamato?”

“What, after just seeing it once?”

“Yes.”

Sayla said it plainly, but if she could perform perfectly with just that, Yamato believed she was more than just a good performer.

When Yamato froze in surprise, Sayla said, “Well, watch me for a moment,” and joined the red team.

When the same performance started again, to his surprise, Sayla was able to fit in perfectly.

The flexibility of her movements was far different from that of the other members of the group. Not only Yamato, but even the students of the white group who were observing the performance were fascinated by her flowing, gorgeous, and expressive movements.

When the performance was over, Yanagi applauded.

“Bravo! Amazing, Shirase-san! I knew it was right to invite you! Yeah, the best decision!”

Sayla was not embarrassed by the compliment, but simply replied “Thanks,” with a dry expression.

Sayla came toward Yamato and smiled at him.

“Hey, how is it? Did I perform well?”

Yamato felt a sense of superiority and at the same time awkwardness towards the people around him as Sayla gave him a happy look, a change from the dry response she had given to others.

“…Well, I think it was good. As Yanagi-senpai praised it, it was amazing. I was surprised that you could perform so well after only seeing it once.”

“It was like singing, once you learn a series of movements, you can usually get by with your senses.”

“Ah, I see. That’s what I call a genius.”

Then, Takao, the leader of the white team, joined the conversation with a look of admiration. But Sayla just replied with a plain, “thanks.”

When the atmosphere was about to become subtle because of this, Yanagi said energetically, “Well then, it’s the white team’s turn! Everyone, show us your passion! ”

And so, this time, the white team performed, and after they adjusted a few details, it was time to leave school.

In the end, Yamato was not able to participate in the performance.

After they were dismissed, Yamato finished changing and met up with Sayla.

Then, with a sigh, Yamato let out a quiet whimper.

“Haaaa, I honestly don’t think I could do it…”

“Then, do you want to practice with me now? It’s still bright out. We can use the park or something.”

Yamato smiled at Sayla’s immediate offer.

“Thanks, Shirase. Please help me.”

“All right, let’s go.”

And so Yamato’s special training began…

“Ah, it looks like you’ve got it down quite a bit!”

The next morning, Eita approached Yamato with amusement.

As for Yamato, he was lying prostrate at his desk, his muscles aching from exhaustion.

“My body… hurts…”

“Well, there’s no practice this afternoon, so let the Saint take her time to heal you.”

“Ah, right. Lunch break is free.”

There was no lunch practice for cheerleading today. This was the first time in a long time that Yamato had been able to have a leisurely lunch, and just as he was feeling better, a cheerful-looking girl from his class called out to him.

“Hey, Kuraki-kun. I want you to keep your lunch break open today.”

She must have been a member of the sports festival committee. Yamato wondered what she had to do with him.

Eita asked on behalf of Yamato, who was confused because he was dealing with a girl who he had hardly talked to, even though she was his classmate.

“What do you want with Kuraki?”

“I thought I’d gather all the people who seem to be bad at the jump rope at lunch today and have a special training session. See, we don’t have lunch practice today. We aim for a hundred times! So, I needed to tell other people to join me, so let’s meet on the field at noon.”

With that, the girl from the committee left, and Yamato’s shoulders slumped.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“God, I feel like I don’t care about anything anymore…”

Yamato sighed heavily, and Eita tapped him on the shoulder in a sympathetic manner.

Lunch break.

Yamato was on his way to the stairs when he noticed a large crowd of students gathered in front of the bulletin board.

It seemed that the midterm test score list (by grade level, only the top fifty) was posted, and Yamato tried to find his name in order from the bottom of the list.

(—There it is! Twenty-fifth place!)

This time, Yamato was confident because his average score was over 80 points, and he heard that his score was quite good compared to others.

So, in case, Yamato checked the rankings at the top, and it was eye-opening.

“Shirase is in first place, seriously?”

Yamato couldn’t help but mutter to himself as he stood as a stick.

Sayla was in first place in her class. It was a big difference from May, who was in second place, and it was nearly a perfect score. Yamato knew that Sayla’s grades were good, but this was the first time for her to get such a high score.

People around him were talking about Sayla, praising her with words like, “She has a look like that and she’s smart too,” and “She’s so perfect, it’s like she lives in a different world.”

—She lives in a different world.

That was what Yamato thought from time to time, too.

Of course, there were times when Yamato felt closer to Sayla as they spent time together. However, in a situation like this, he couldn’t help but feel their difference.

Sayla’s sister, Reika, once told Yamato that geniuses were supposed to be lonely.

Yamato now understood why geniuses became lonely. It was because those involved inevitably felt that they were the inferior ones.

And in some cases, feelings of jealousy and backbiting arise, and they lose their patience and try to keep the genius away.

“I won’t let you be alone.”

Yamato muttered quietly and clenched his fists.

On the last day of the golden week, Yamato made his decision. He would not leave unless he was rejected by Sayla herself. And that one day, he would not be ashamed to stand with her.

Yamato made up his mind again and started walking down the hallway.

Strangely, Yamato felt as if strength was gushing out of his body.

“Wahaa~”

Exhaling heavily, Yamato fell to the ground.

They had been jump roping for the entire lunch break. Thanks to this, Yamato’s thighs were sore and his lungs were screaming for oxygen.

“Well, that’s the end of the practice. Let’s do our best in the real thing!”

With that, the girl from the sports festival committee left.

Of the total of five students gathered (all boys), four except for Yamato were exhausted as they headed back.

Perhaps it was because he was still tired from yesterday, but Yamato wasn’t able to move.

“Good work.”

At that moment, Yamato thought he heard a husky voice and felt a cool touch on his cheek.

Yamato turned his gaze to the side and saw Sayla standing there in her school uniform. From this position, Yamato could almost see the inside of her skirt.

“…Why are you here, Shirase?”

When Yamato managed to avert his gaze, the sports drink that was on his cheek was placed on his chest.

“I had some free time, so I was over there watching Yamato practice. Oh, that’s a gift for you.”

Just looking at Sayla, as if she was a refreshment, was enough to lift Yamato’s spirits.

When he was breathing steadily again, Yamato raised his upper body and gulped down the sports drink Sayla had brought.

“Phew, I’m back to life. …Thanks for the drink.”

“You’re welcome. You were jumping pretty good.”

“That should be the ase if you’re given such detailed instructions on how to jump.”

“It was a little hot and humid for it.”

“Mostly.”

“Ahaha.”

Sayla’s innocent smile was so dazzling that just looking at her was soothing.

The girl on the sports festival committee who had been acting as his instructor for the practice earlier had been devilishly strict, so when Sayla was nice to Yamato like this, it almost made him cry.

“I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve talked to Shirase like this.”

“No, we did so at yesterday’s special training session.”

“Haha, right.”

“Weird. And you look so happy.”

“Really? Well, I suppose you could say it’s fulfilling.”

“Hmm. I see.”

This was the first time Yamato had to work so hard for the sports festival, and he felt fulfilled by his busy schedule.

However, what made Yamato most happy now was that Sayla had taken the trouble to see him.

And yet, Yamato couldn’t say that out loud.

Instead, Yamato tells her what he has been planning to tell her eventually.

“By the way, I saw the test ranking list. Shirase, you’re in first place! That’s great! Congratulations!”

“Hee, I see. Maybe because I was teaching Yamato how to study, I learned something myself.”

Sayla was not particularly happy, but rather, simply unconcerned.

Humble wasn’t the right word to describe it. Perhaps she really didn’t care that much.

As Yamato chuckled with a sense of bitterness and admiration, Sayla held out her hand to him.

“Come on, it’s time to go back to class. The bell will probably ring soon.”

“Yeah.”

Just as Yamato was about to take her hand, a strong gust of wind blew.

Sayla’s skirt flipped up with such force that Yamato could almost see her underwear, and then—

—Pat.

Instantly, Sayla held down the hem of her skirt with both hands. She had a crazy reaction speed.

Yamato was surprised, because he had expected her to react the same way as before, not caring if he could see her underwear or not.

“Did you see it?”

Yamato responded to Sayla’s question by shaking his head from side to side.

“Good. That was pretty close.”

Then Sayla held out her hand to Yamato again.

“Somehow, you feel a little different.”

Taking her hand, Yamato stood up and blurted out.

It was as if Sayla had held her skirt down out of concern for Yamato.

Then, Sayla seemed to groan, “Hmm.”

“I’ve been thinking a lot of things, in my own way.”

“Such as?”

“I’m trying to take better care of Yamato.”

The answer was more adorable than Yamato had expected. This answer led to her holding her skirt down earlier.

“I’m glad you’re feeling that way, but regardless of what I say, I’d still like you to be careful with the skirt.”

“In the first place, I’ve always been more careful in front of people other than Yamato. I’m not an exhibitionist.”

Sayla seemed unusually upset. Yamato, however, was in the mood to hold his head.

“No, you should be careful in front of me too…”

“That, you see, is something I’m putting effort in.”

“Effort…Well, if that’s what you mean, I get it.”

In the end, Yamato thought that it was also because he was not a man in her eyes, and he was disappointedly convinced that was why.

Then the bell rang and they both started walking.

Looking at Sayla walking next to him, Yamato smiled.

(“Take care of Yamato,” huh? I need to take better care of Shirase too.)

Only in his mind did Yamato renew his resolve.

After school.

Thanks to May’s explanation to the class about the lack of practice time for the cheerleading team, the members were exempted from the after-school class practice.

“Okay, today’s the day I’m going to join the performance.”

On the way to the building, Yamato was eager to show the results of yesterday’s training.

May then smiled happily.

“Kuraki-kun, you slept through the afternoon class.”

“You caught me… I’m sorry, Tamaki-san is on the class committee, it’s only natural you can’t overlook something like this.”

“No, it’s important to work hard at school events. I’m a rather loose committee member in that regard.”

Ehem, May then puffed her chest out and Yamato’s gaze was drawn to her.

“Heh.”

Then Sayla reacted, which made Yamato’s body tense up in fear.

Yamato wondered if Sayla had noticed that he was looking at May’s chest, but she didn’t say anything.

“You’re amusing, Tamaki-san. You’re surprisingly unserious.”

When Sayla smiled and said that, May’s mouth gaped open and she froze.

“Ara? What’s going on?”

“No, that was Shirase’s fault.”

“Eh? Mine?”

Sayla looked unconvinced.

May in response started tapping with her phone without changing her expression.

—Bububu.

Then Yamato’s phone reported an incoming message.

When Yamato checked, the sender was May.

“Why didn’t I take a video of the saint just now? …She’s so angelic, I feel like I’m being summoned to heaven.”

Yamato, dumbfounded by the text, turned to Sayla and said.

“Shirase, tell Tamaki-san one more time—Mogogo!?”

“Please don’t! I’ll fly away! I’m really going to be summoned to heaven!”

May rushed with a force that could no longer be called a rush, blocking Yamato’s mouth with all her might and squeezing him so hard that he had trouble breathing.

“Pffthaaa—!? I thought I was going to die…”

By the time he was finally released, Yamato’s complexion had turned completely pale. Yamato was the one about to be summoned to heaven instead.

“You two are so close.”

Seeing this situation, Sayla spoke nonchalantly.

She has a poker face as usual, and Yamato couldn’t read what she was thinking from her expression.

When Yamato was troubled as to how to respond, May smiled and said.

“Yeah, we’re good friends. Kuraki-kun is very kind.”

In response to May’s words, Sayla smiled again.

“Yeah, I know.”

Sayla said, somewhat happily, and walked onward.

May was standing there with a peaceful look on her face, as if she was at the peak of her happiness. She was probably struck by Sayla’s smile.

“…Thank you, Tamaki-san. I’m glad to be friends with you, too.”

Unusually for Yamato, he expressed his feelings honestly.

Yamato was a little embarrassed to say it outright, but he still wanted to make sure he told her.

The voice seemed to bring May back to herself, and she made a peace sign with both hands.

“Ehehe, we have a win-win relationship!”

May was a strong person with excellent grades, but at this moment, she looked strangely childish.

“Right. —Come on, let’s go before Shirase leaves us.”

“Yes!”

When the three of them arrived at the first floor of the club’s building, most of the members were already there.

Not long after that, everyone was together and the practice began under the direction of the team leader.

This time, Yamato was allowed to participate in the performance from the beginning. He was standing at the back of the stage, but just the thought of performing with the others made him nervous.

The drums sounded, and at the same time, the members of the red team began to perform.

Yamato tried to perform as he had practiced, but his own rhythm was disrupted by his conscious effort to keep up with the movements of those around him.

“Stop.”

After Yanagi stopped them, he warned some of them.

“—And, Kuraki-kun, don’t get caught up in other people’s movements.”

“Yes. Sorry.”

With the precise attention he received, Yamato felt he could pick up the pace.

Then once again, this time the performance went through to the end.

Sayla’s position was near the center of the stage, and she was the second most popular dancer after the leader. Even from the back where Yamato was, her magnificent performance was clearly visible.

Then, after the end of the performance, they took a break.

When Yanagi came to Yamato and Sayla, she smiled at Yamato.

“That’s great, Kuraki-kun. You learned it all in just one day!”

“Ah, thanks. A friend came along to help me train. It was just a lot of repetition.”

“That’s nice. You should take good care of that friend~ ─Also, Shirase-san was good as always. I think it would be great if you could make a little more noise.”

“All right.”

As usual, Sayla’s response was curt. Yanagi, as expected, smiled a little troubled at this, then waved and left.

“Yanagi-danchou looks troubled.”
[TLN: danchou = leader, commander, etc.]

“Was I really that quiet?”

“No, I can’t speak for others, either. I just think you could be a little more sociable.”

“Ah, that thing. I’ll do my best.”

—I only want to talk to people I want to talk to.

Yamato understood that this was Sayla’s basic standpoint.

However, from Yamato’s point of view, who had always been able to read the atmosphere to a certain extent, it was a little awkward to see Sayla sticking to her own standpoint even in such a situation.

And then, some girls approached them. They were members of the same red team, and May was among them.

“Hey hey, Saint. We’re having a girls’ night out with the red team later, would you like to come?”

Among them, a flamboyant-looking girl approached Sayla. It was a girl from another class who was popular with the boys. Since it was a girls’ meeting, Yamato would have no role to play.

Sayla looked at Yamato for a moment, then answered with a smile.

“Sorry, I’ll pass. I’ve got plans later today.”

“Aww, I see. Okay, I’ll invite you some other time.”

“Yes, thanks.”

As the gal-like girl was walking away, she said, “No, the smile of the saint is too much. I’m so thrilled to be with a girl like her!” She was talking excitedly. The girls around her (including May) all agreed, “I know! I understand!”

Then May turned around and sent a gesture toward them, clasping her hands together to say “I’m sorry.”

“I think it worked this time?”

Yamato was happy that the situation was not as delicate as it had been, and he said with a hint of excitement.

Then Sayla replied, “Maybe,” with a somewhat unhappy expression on her face.

Just as Yamato was about to check if something had upset her, Yanagi announced that the break time was over.

Then they went through the performance once, and that was the end of the practice for the day.

As Yamato was about to enter the locker room, Sayla poked him on the shoulder with a pinch.

“What’s the matter?”

“Are you free on Sunday?”

“Ah, yeah, I’m free.”

“I’d like you to come along for a breather if you don’t mind?”

Yamato took the liberty of interpreting that the reason why she had looked so unhappy earlier was that she hadn’t been able to have much fun lately.

Yamato also was just in need of a breather, so he nodded immediately.

“Good. I’ll send you another message later.”

After Sayla left, there was a sweet lingering scent in the air.

Yamato’s heart was pounding loudly.

(Come already, Sunday…!)

With this in mind, Yamato hurriedly began to change and leave.

Noon, Sunday.

Under a pleasant sunny sky, Yamato arrived at the meeting place in front of the station in the city center, thirty minutes earlier than the meeting time.

Today, Yamato wore a navy-colored shirt and a pair of beige chinos, trying to look fashionable in his own way. He had already set his hair with wax.

It was the weekend and there were a lot of people coming and going, so he waited for 20 minutes.

Suddenly, the area began to buzz, and Yamato immediately understood why.

It was Sayla, dressed in a summery outfit, who drew all the attention of the people around her.

Wearing a summer orange sleeveless dress and loose beige pants with her hair tied up in ponytails, she looked fresh and cute, yet elegant.

Yamato was admiring her as she walked briskly, her low-heeled sandals clinking, when she came in front of him, he was taken aback.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Are you feeling sleepy?”

“No, madam, I’m not sleepy at all…”

“Fufu, why the honorifics?”

Yamato was about to ascend as he was in front of the summer Saint who was smiling happily at him.

“Let’s go.”

Then, Sayla pulled on Yamato’s hand.

Her cool fingertips were refreshing to Yamato, whose body was hot, and he grasped them back.

They weaved through the crowds and kept walking even after crossing the intersection of the main street.

Today, in order to save as much money as possible, they had already had lunch prior to the meeting. As usual, Yamato was not told where they were going, but he wondered if there was somewhere she wanted to go.

“Hey, do you know where you’re going?”

“Yes.”

“Where is it?”

“Secret.”

“You say that a lot…”

Walking hand in hand, or rather being pulled along, it was as if they were on a date. In fact, to others, it looked like nothing less than a date.

(Wait, I’m being led around again…)

Yamato felt a little ashamed because he felt that this had become a familiar routine for him.

Then, when they were in the middle of the downtown area, Sayla suddenly stopped.

“Ah, what’s wrong?”

“Hold on a second.”

Sayla pulled out her phone.

…This was also a common scene, it seemed she had lost her way again.

As Sayla fiddled with her phone, Yamato felt strangely sad that their hands were separated, and he opened and closed his left hand absentmindedly.

When Yamato looked at Sayla’s outfit again, he felt a bit nervous just looking at her sleeveless outfit, which exposed a lot of her shoulder area.

“Okay, this way.”

It seemed that she had confirmed the route to their destination. Once again, Sayla pulled Yamato’s hand and started walking.

“If you just tell me where it is, I’ll take you there.”

“I’m fine. It’s not that hard.”

“No no.”

And so they arrived at a large movie theater that had opened a few years ago.

“Umm, we’re going to watch a movie?”

“Yeah. I haven’t decided what to watch yet, so we’ll decide together.”

“All right.”

When they entered the theater, it was crowded with many people, probably because it was the weekend. Or perhaps because they were showing a popular movie.

“It’s cold… Too much air conditioning”

While she was talking, Sayla was rubbing her shoulders. Indeed, the air conditioning was too high for June.

“Did you bring anything to wear on top?”

“I forgot. I was going to bring it with me in the morning.”

“Ah so that… I can lend you my jacket if you want, what do you say?”

“Wouldn’t that make Yamato cold?”

“I have a T-shirt inside. I’m fine.”

“Okay, I’ll borrow it when I can’t take it anymore.”

After such an exchange, they looked at the schedule of movies that were being played that day.

“So, which one shall we watch?”

“Hmmm… There’s a lot.”

That day, there were twenty movies being shown. Divided by genre, ten were action films, five were romance, and the remaining five were other genres such as mystery and science fiction.

“What kind of movies do you usually watch, Shirase? Action?”

“I give off that kind of impression? I usually watch heartwarming movies.”

“How unexpected…”

“What about Yamato?”

“I… Don’t watch a lot of movies in the first place. I don’t have a particular genre that I prefer, but if I had to say, I’d say I watch whatever’s on.”

“That’s just TV.”

“No, a movie.”

The two sides could not get anywhere by arguing with each other, so Yamato spoke up here with his own request.

“By the way, I vote for an action movie called ‘Otoko-tachi no Kengeki’ (Sword Fight). First of all, the content sounds interesting, and I think Japanese movies are more suitable for me than Western movies.”

“Wow, that sure looks interesting. But I think I’d rather watch ‘Kono Omoi wa Kimini no Tame ni’ (This Thought Is For You).”

The movie that Sayla mentioned was an animated movie, a love story with science fiction elements. The choice was so unexpected that Yamato was at a loss as to how to respond.

On a Sunday, a man and a woman watch a romance movie together. Isn’t that exactly what a date is?

Yamato knew that if a man and a woman watched a romance movie together, it would create a weird atmosphere. Yamato was curious if Sayla had chosen to watch a romance movie knowing this.

“What should we do? Rock-paper-scissors?”

While Yamato was struggling to answer, Sayla made a suggestion.

So Yamato decided to ask her boldly.

“…Why did Shirase want to see that movie?”

“I thought the characters were cute, and the rest was just because I was just annoyed that she kept making fun of me.”

Making fun of Shirase Sayla. —There was only one person Yamato knew who could do such a thing.

“Did your sister say something to you?”

“A little bit the other day. So I thought I’d watch this and see what I could do.”

“Your motives are impure…”

What kind of history did Sayla have for Reika to make fun of her? Yamato wanted to know, but for the moment, he decided not to pursue the matter any further.

“I understand if that’s what you want. We’ll watch that movie today.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I don’t usually watch this kind of stuff either, and I’m also curious.”

“Thanks.”

So, after finally deciding on a movie to watch, they bought tickets at the ticket machine and bought popcorn and drinks at the food counter. The screening was starting in fifteen minutes, so they took their seats early.

Since they bought their tickets just before the screening time, their seats were in the back, but near the center.

When it came time to start, Yamato was very much looking forward to it. It was hard to watch a romance movie by himself before, so this was a valuable experience for him.

“Hey, can I borrow your jacket?”

Sayla, sitting next to Yamato on his right, rubbed her shoulders and asked.

“Yeah, I got it.”

Yamato hurriedly took off his outer shirt and handed it to Sayla.

Sayla quickly put on the jacket and smiled, relieved.

“I should have known it was too early to go sleeveless.”

“Next time, why don’t you bring a coat to wear over it? …Although it looks good on you.”

“Yeah, I will. I’ll get a cardigan next time.”

“O-Oh.”

Yamato was embarrassed by his own statement, that she “looked good”, and even more embarrassed by the fact that Sayla accepted the advice.

Then he noticed that Sayla was about to take off her shirt.

“Wait, why are you trying to take it off?”

“Yamato said I looked good with it, and I thought it would be a shame not to show it off.”

“I-I see. …But we’re about to watch a movie, so at least keep the jacket on during the screening.”

“That’s true.”

Sayla seemed to be convinced and easily put her shirt back on.

(Ah, goodness, I’m so happy…)

Yamato felt that Sayla was receiving his words well and that his feelings were being taken care of. Yamato felt so hot in his chest that he was almost writhing.

But he managed to calm himself down and put some popcorn into his mouth as a distraction.

“Is that salty?”

“Yeah.”

“I have caramel. Let’s trade a few.”

“You drank juice just now, it must have gotten too sweet.”

“Sort of.”

“I told you not to get the caramel flavor.”

“Whatever, I’m taking it okay.”

As Yamato was nagging her, Sayla’s hand reached out and grabbed a handful of Yamato’s popcorn.

“Ah, hey, you took too much.”

At that moment, the buzzer sounded to start the movie.

As the scene darkened, Yamato reluctantly stopped arguing and turned his gaze to the screen.

And so the screening of the movie, “Kono Omoi wa Kimini no Tame ni” began.

One hour after the movie started.

There were more romance and coming-of-age elements than Yamato had expected, and the science fiction elements seemed to play a sub role.

The story was already nearing its end, but the sweet scene played over and over again, and thanks to it, Yamato felt an inexplicable awkwardness.

Because of this awkwardness, he suddenly felt thirsty. As Yamato reached out to get his own drink, his hand collided with Sayla’s.

“Ah, sorr-.”

When he turned to look next to him to apologize, Yamato stopped talking.

Sayla’s gaze remained straight on the screen, not distracted by Yamato’s hand touching hers.

Unlike Yamato, who was not quite able to concentrate, Sayla seemed to be fully immersed in the movie.

Yamato quietly grabbed his drink without disturbing her, and then he noticed a problem.

The drink (melon soda) that Yamato had hardly drunk was almost empty.

Yamato wondered what was going on, and as he looked at his own drink holder — Sayla suddenly reached for it.

Sayla had misplaced the holder and was drinking his drink.

Yamato sipped his drink once at the beginning and once more around the middle, so it was almost certain that they had kissed indirectly.

And so, without realizing it, he experienced his second indirect kiss. After realizing this, Yamato was not sure if it was okay to drink the drink.

“Ah.”

When Sayla suddenly muttered, Yamato looked up to see what was going on.

Then, the protagonist and the heroine on the screen had just kissed.

Yamato glanced sideways next to him and saw that Sayla was looking at it with a dazed expression.

Apparently, it was an important scene of the climax, and the movie ended soon after.

As the ending credits began to play, Sayla finally turned to look at Yamato.

“That was fun.”

In a whispery little voice, Sayla spoke up.

To be honest, Yamato wasn’t really able to concentrate on the movie, but he nodded anyway.

As the movie ended and the place became brighter, Sayla let out another “Ah”.

“I think I drank Yamato’s drink. Sorry. I have some leftover melon soda if you want some.”

That said, the melon soda that she offered him was practically full.

“Pfft. …You got it wrong from the start. They’re both melon sodas, so I don’t blame you.”

“To be honest, around the time the movie started, I didn’t know which way I placed my drink.”

“No, just ask me normally next time.”

“Yamato was probably concentrating on the movie, and I thought it would be wrong to disrupt you.”

Yamato’s cheeks relaxed as he was happy that she cared for him in such a way.

“I don’t mind, it’s just a drink. —The problem is the rest of that, but we don’t have to drink it all, we can just throw it away, right?”

“No, it’s a waste of money. Let’s drink it. If Yamato can’t, I’ll drink it.”

“Ah, fine! I’ll drink it!”

Even though the drinks were medium size, it would be hard for a single person to drink two.

And so Yamato drank Sayla’s melon soda for a good cause.

“…Pf.”

“Oh, by the way, the kiss.”

“Pfft-!?”

For Yamato, the topic was brought up at a pinpoint timing, so he couldn’t help but spew the drink out.

“U-Ummm, that’s uh, something unpredictable…”

“But I didn’t understand the whole kissing to save the world thing.”

“Ah, you’re talking about that. Well, for now, let’s talk about that after we leave the theater. If you’re going to talk about anything that might spoil the movie, you need to lower the volume of your voice.”

“Ok”

As usual, there was a huge crowd inside the theater, and the two of them slowly made their way outside.

The sun was still high in the sky when they left the movie theater.

“It’s really feeling like summer now.”

“It’s only 3:00 PM. —Ah, thanks for the jacket.”

Yamato put on the jacket that was returned to him, and a ridiculously enticing smell enveloped his entire body.

Yamato was about to enjoy the smell, but he hurriedly shook his head from side to side to shake off the feeling.

“So, what do we do now?”

“Do you want some food?”

“You’re hungry?”

“Yeah. I haven’t eaten lunch.”

“I thought we were supposed to eat before coming… Well, if that’s the case, let’s go to eat somewhere.”

Today, Sayla wanted to go to a ramen shop again, but this time she happened to see a restaurant that specialized in oil soba.

They sat down at a table for two in the spacious restaurant, and while they were waiting for their order, Sayla fidgeted and opened her mouth.

“What did you think of that movie back there, Yamato?”

“…To be honest, I didn’t really get much out of it.”

“I see. I thought it was pretty interesting.”

“I’m glad Shirase enjoyed it.”

“Yeah, I didn’t really understand the science fiction part, but I did understand that it’s hard to socialize. Ah, including the socializing between lovers.”

“I guess I agree with that…Well, the character in the story had the survival of the world at stake, so it’s not surprising that it’s difficult.”

While they were talking about this, the food that they had ordered arrived.

“Ah, here it comes. —Well, itadakimasu.”

“Me too, itadakimasu”

It was a simple soy sauce-based oil soba, and after mixing it well, the rich flavor and subtle sweetness stimulated their appetite. It tasted just like the visual, in a good way, and even Yamato, who was not so hungry, could not stop eating it.

When eating the roast pork with the rice noodles, the flavor of the oil was more noticeable, and when eating it with the boiled egg, its mild richness filled the mouth.

It was truly the way. It was straightforwardly delicious oil soba without using any elaborate techniques.

“It’s delicious… I think I could finish this in one sitting.”

“It’s got a lot of flavors, but it’s easy to eat. No wonder it’s so popular”

Speaking of easy to eat, there were also a few female customers in the restaurant. They checked the reviews on the Internet and found that it was very popular.

And there he saw a small bottle of garlic. Apparently, this place also had those for free.

“Hey, it looks like there’s garlic here too, do we have to use it?”

“I won’t use it. …Yamato can be quite mean sometimes.”

Yamato hadn’t seen Sayla use garlic since the first time they went into a ramen shop together. The sight of a beautiful girl gobbling up that garlic-infused ramen was stimulating, and Yamato loved it. …But Yamato didn’t want to say that, because she might have begun sulking.

“I’m sorry. I’ll pour you some water. You’ll be in a better mood.”

“Well, I don’t mind it that much.”

Sayla took the trouble to hold out a cup to Yamato, and he carefully poured water into it.

Then, Sayla said, seemingly in a better mood.

“It feels like it’s been a while since I hung out with Yamato.”

“We’ve been having tests lately, and after they were over, we went right into the sports festival period. Well, that being said, we did get in the pool.”

“Sports festival… I can’t wait for it to be over.”

Sayla blurted out, again in a direct manner.

“You don’t like it?”

“Yeah, it’s a lot of work. Classes, cheerleading…”

“That’s my fault, right… Sorry about that.”

“No, it’s just that it’s fun to be able to participate with Yamato, but it’s a pain to get involved with other people.”

Sayla said it plainly and didn’t even show any signs of bashfulness.

Yamato was embarrassed when Sayla said something that made him quite happy.

Yamato replied, trying not to let his feelings show on his face.

“W-Well, they don’t all seem to be bad people, and we’ll just have to treat them better.”

“I know. —Gochisosama.”

Sayla beat him to it again, and Yamato hurried to shovel in the remaining rice noodles.

“Gochisosama.”

“Fufu, so there’s no need to be so hasty.”

“This is just a matter of my willpower.”

“Heh.”

“I’m a mess…”

“Ahaha, I’m sorry.”

They both finished eating, so they paid the bill and went outside.

It was still light outside, but the temperature seemed to have dropped a bit.

“Hey, do you want to look at clothes?”

“Sure, but I don’t have much on hand.”

“It’s fine. I’m not buying anything. And it’s cheap… probably.”

“Haa…?”

Yamato wondered if she meant if they were window shopping. Yamato was also curious about how cheap it was.

Sayla, who had finished her meal, seemed to be full of energy and went ahead of him at a fast pace.

“Hey, are you sure about where you’re going?”

“Yeah, I’m looking at a map. I’m fine.”

After getting lost a few times, they finally arrived in front of a second-hand clothing store that Yamato assumed was their destination.

“We’re here.”

“You wanted to see old clothes.”

“Yeah. I haven’t been able to buy many summer clothes yet.”

Second-hand clothes could be less expensive than buying them at a regular clothing store. And it was easier to window shop when one was in the mood.

To enter the store, they had to use the stairs leading to the basement, which made it feel as if they were entering a secret base.

It was spacious inside, and the use of orange lighting gave it a somewhat retro feel. The number of customers was not very much, but Yamato felt it connected to the comfort of the place.

“Here, look, look.”

When Sayla called Yamato, he turned his head to see her wearing a wide-brimmed hat and pitch-black sunglasses. The fact that she looked so good in anything was one of the amazing things about her.

“That’s a great outfit. It looks good on you.”

“Let’s get a matching one for Yamato.”

“I-I’m fine.”

Sayla put a hat of the same style on him, ignoring Yamato’s resistance.

She even handed him a pair of sunglasses, which he had no choice but to put on, and Sayla started laughing when she saw them.

“Ahaha, it looks really good on you.”

“You’re definitely making fun of me. …You’re laughing too much.”

“Hey, there’s a mirror there, let’s line up.”

As he was about to take off his hat, Yamato’s hand was pulled away and he was dragged in front of a vertical mirror.

The sight of the two unusual-looking people standing side by side was spectacular in a way, and Yamato couldn’t help but laugh.

“Haha, this is a bad idea.”

“I guess. It’s funny though.”

With a snap, Sayla took a picture with her phone.

Yamato also took out his phone for a picture, then Sayla said, “It’s okay, I’ll send it to you later.”

(It’s like we are a couple…)

The whole exchange seemed to just be like that.

But Yamato quickly put that thought to the back of his mind.

“You should wear this next.”

Sayla, on the other hand, had a number of new clothes ready.

Yamato realized that he was just a dress-up doll being played with, and mentally prepared himself.

This went on for about an hour, and by the time they finally left the store, the sun was setting.

In the end, they didn’t buy anything, but Sayla still seemed satisfied, while Yamato was sullen.

It was a natural progression to head towards the station together.

“Did you get a chance to blow off some steam?”

Yamato asked without thinking.

It all started when Sayla asked him to go out with her to hang out.

Sayla, walking next to him, smiled softly.

“Yeah, I feel like I cleared up a lot of stuff that was bothering me. Thanks for hanging out with me today.”

“I had a great time, too.”

“Well, good.”

Sayla was always honest, which in return made Yamato much more honest than usual.

Only when Yamato was spending time with her, he feel like he could like himself more.

“We’re here at the station.”

“I think I’ll go home now.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

In mutual agreement, they walked through the turnstiles and boarded the train.

When they reached the nearest train station, Yamato felt a sense of regret at having to leave.

“I’ll see you at school.”

Yamato’s mood turned better when he was told goodbye in a simple manner.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

After a small wave, Sayla left.

He looked away until her back was out of sight, and Yamato started to walk away as well.

Just then, his phone alerted him to an incoming message.

When he checked, he found that Sayla had sent him the picture of them paired up, taken at the clothing store.

“I knew I didn’t look good at all.”

Yamato talked to himself and smiled as he made his way home.