“Akito, did you see!? I reached the goal!”
Riran, who had returned, had a radiant, full-faced smile.
She was just like a puppy wanting to be praised. Cute.
“Yeah, you worked hard.”
“I did! This is the first time in my life I’ve reached the goal in a sports day or athletic festival! It’s all thanks to Akito cheering for me!”
“I see, I see. Your first... wait, first time?”
What did she mean by the first time in her life reaching the goal? Was such a thing even possible?
“I was so bad at reaching the goal that I was always made to retire halfway through...”
Is that even possible!?
I knew Riran’s motor skills were bad, but I didn’t think it was this terrible...
“Wait, Akito, why don’t you know? We were in the same middle school.”
“Did you think I was actually participating properly?”
“I was a fool for asking...”
Riran sighed, holding her head.
Well, I barely participated in individual events, and I slacked off during team competitions too.
There must be other guys like me. ...Probably.
“Anyway! Celebrate my first goal in life! Lift me up! Revere me!”
“Do you even know what you’re saying?”
“My tension is just that high right now! It’s Baridaka!”
“Don’t say it like it’s Barikata ramen.”
But well, this was the first time I’d seen Riran’s tension this high.
A celebration, huh...
“Then, I’ll give you some kind of reward next time.”
“Really!?”
“Yeah. Something that’ll make you exceptionally happy.”
“Eeeeh~? Is it okay to raise the hurdle like that? Hehe, then I’ll look forward to it!”
Perhaps still riding the high tension, Riran waved her hand grandly and returned to the Red team.
“Man, I really want to show those guys from our middle school that this is that Kuonji. Right, Akito?”
“Go explode.”
“That’s my line! Besides, that’s old, Akito!”
Tch. I completely forgot Ryūya was here.
He’s been grinning for a while now... Oh, you want to go, punk?
“Because, you know, I don’t think any of our middle school classmates who went to other schools could even imagine her showing Akito such a brilliant smile, right?”
“...Well, maybe so.”
Certainly, such a smile was unthinkable back in middle school.
There was still some lingering embarrassment at school, but it seemed she had broken through that with her recent success.
“So from now on, we get to see Akito and the others flirting at school too? Man, how deeply moving.”
“Like hell we will. This is Riran we’re talking about.”
“No, in my estimation, she’s the type who loses all restraint the moment she breaks through.”
No way.
I know Riran better than Ryūya does.
She’s not the type to do that. ...I think. Wait, right?
“Immoral heterosexual relationships within the school are out of the question!”
““GYAAAAAAH!?!?””
Eh, uwa, Yakushiji-senpai!? That really scared me... When did she get behind us?
“Sanada-kun, mixing public and private affairs is unacceptable. You mustn’t. School is a place for learning.”
“I won’t do something like that.”
“Though it seems some idiot already did.”
“............”
“Ryūya, I’m disappointed in you.”
“No, wait! It was just a kiss! I definitely didn’t do anything more than that! I just happened to be found by the President...”
Good grief, is this guy a monkey...
“But Yakushiji-senpai. Not that I’m defending Ryūya, but since we are tied by the Red Thread, it’s not immoral.”
“Th-That’s right! We’re wholesome!”
“Wholesome or not, what do you plan to do if you go too far and a child is conceived?”
Bullseye.
“Think common-sensically. Imagine if a child were born at sixteen or so. How would the world look at you?”
Double bullseye.
“No matter how good it is for both of you, or how much understanding you have from your parents, what you can do is limited. I want you to think seriously about the future. As students of Ginkgo High School.”
““Y-Yes...””
She was so perfectly right that I couldn’t say anything.
“Umu! Sorry about that, giving a preachy lecture on such a fun day. Now then, let’s go for the win! Ei-ei-oh!”
““O-Oh...””
“Your voices are small! Ei-ei-oh!”
““E-Ei-ei-oh!””
“What’s that? Looks fun!”
“Let’s do it too!”
“Ei-ei-oh!”
The people of the Blue team who were watching our exchange from a distance also started raising their voices here and there.
“That’s the spirit! Everyone in the Blue team, let’s get those voices out! Ei-ei-oh!”
““““Ei!! Ei!! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!””””
Ah... how should I put it.
“She’s a strange person.”
“You finally noticed?”
“But more than that, she’s an amazing person.”
“You finally noticed that too?”
To think such a strange and amazing person was in the second year.
“Alright then, Blue team! Charge forward aiming for an undefeated victory!”
“President, that’s impossible!”
“Mu? Is that so?”
Roar—!!
Whether the President was being airheaded or it was calculated, the Blue team was enveloped in laughter.
...She really is a strange person.