CH 39

A few days had passed since I had given Yukiahana a lot of trouble. Apparently, the movie was quite good, and the written report I had asked her to write was about ten pages long, even though I had asked her to summarize it in bullet-point form.

I tried to find out the general story on the Internet, but there were too many impressions written by Yukihana, and it took me a long time to connect them to the story. At the end of the story, she wrote not only her impressions but a lot of thoughts about the story, which shows how much she likes this series.

By the way, when I asked Yukihana about the female student played by Nanase, she replied

“………..Ah.”

Yukihana, who is supposed to have a good memory, had a considerable amount of time to recall it. In that sense, I guess she was really a supporting character in a supporting role. The fact that you can act in a movie as a high school freshman is in itself an amazing thing.

As I was walking to school with these thoughts in my mind, I saw a familiar figure for the first time in several weeks. Who could it be but Nanase, the person herself.

She used to be stalked by a lot of students, but recently it seems to have calmed down. At a quick glance, there are few students who are paying attention to Nanase. For better or worse, she must have adjusted to high school life.

As I was thinking about this, Nanase suddenly turned around. Then, my eyes met Nanase’s, who was looking at me.

(Oh, shit……)

I thought so and tried to change my course, but it was already too late and Nanase was walking toward me at a fast pace.

I didn’t have time to run away and ended up facing Nanase. Nanase smiled at me and said,

“Good morning, Senpai ! What a coincidence to see you in the morning.”

Fortunately, people haven’t noticed me yet, but Nanase stands out a hell of a lot. That’s why I wanted to run away from this place in a hurry, but that’s unnatural. You should stay here even if you take risks.

“…….Nanase, huh. Good morning.”

“Senpai, you’ve been gloomy this morning.　 Why don’t you be a little brighter? Nipaa,”

“I’m not that kind of character., you know?”

What’s with that child’s laugh that sounds like a cry. I may have done that in the past, but now I can’t even smile.

By the way, Nanase was able to create a smile in an instant because she was a model. I’d like to learn that skill, too.

“That’s right, I wanted to ask you, Senpai ! There must have been a preview the other day, right? Were you able to attend?”

“Ah-……it was very interesting.”

“I’m worried about the gap, but if you enjoyed it, it’s the most important.”

She’s a little suspicious, but it doesn’t seem to be a problem as long as I deceive her. The only thing is, this woman is strangely clinging to me. When I walked, she walked next to me at almost the same pace as I did.

“Hey, hey, are you okay with the weekly magazines? You’re walking with a guy.”

“This is not a problem. It’s not forbidden for me to talk to boys, and it doesn’t hurt or itch me when they gossip about me.”

“No, it bothers me quite a bit.”

Until now, I haven’t talked much with my classmates. But if the rumor that Nanase and I used to walk together, I’m sure I’ll get a lot of attention. That’s why I really want to run away as soon as possible……that’s right.

“That’s right Nanase, I’ve got to stop at a convenience store, so that’s about it.”

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry for interrupting you.”

After saying that, I walked away from Nanase and made my way to the convenience store. I looked in the curve mirror at the end of the street and saw Nanase still staring at me. I could see her gaze straining at my back.

“……As I thought, they look alike.”

I heard Nanase say that at the end.

※

The time goes on and it’s the fourth period. Today’s fourth period class was to play soccer in PE.

(Ah……so easy)

At first glance, you might think that ball games are a hassle, but soccer and basketball are a different story. If you play well, time passes without you ever touching the ball. I usually only have to stand around the half line, so it is like taking a walk alone on the court.

Sometimes the ball rolls my way, and I just pass it to my teammate. But of course, there are times when this is not possible.

(Damn, I went a little too far back.)

When I was walking along, distracted by the clock on the school building, I found myself walking surprisingly far into the back of the building. And only at such a time, the ball gets rolling.

“Ohhhh ! Shiina. Please !”

“Score it !”

Cheers flying from the same team. But I was completely unmotivated. I receive the ball and roll it with my foot, but I immediately kick the ball up.

(I’m….aiming at the goal.)

It’s true that I’m not motivated, but it’s also true that I want to play a little. So I aimed at the goal, which is considered difficult, and kicked the ball. And then

Kahn !

My aim was right on target, and the ball bounced wide. And my teammates managed to get the ball back.

“Well, that was really close, wasn’t it?”

“But, I don’t think he would have kicked the ball up there.”

There were a few people who were frankly impressed with me, and others who were dismayed at my lack of motivation. But I ignore them and take a walk around the court again. By the way, I’m practicing misdirection, so I’d like to believe that I’ve managed to fool the gym teacher’s eyes.

“……?”

On the tennis court right next to the ground, the girls were cheering. If you look closely, you will see that Kisaragi and Yukihana were playing singles.

“Ruri chan, you’re good, but the real deal is yet to begin !”

“……Damn, you’re stubborn.”

Kisaragi, using the physical strength of her track team to run around the court in all directions, and Yukihana, using her skill and sense to hit the ball back precisely. Was she an experienced tennis player?

As I was thinking about this, I suddenly felt something approaching, so I turned around quickly.

“L-look out, Shiina !”

When I turned around, a soccer ball came flying at me, hitting me in the face. I tried to avoid it, but as expected, I couldn’t avoid it in time.

(……)

I lift my foot as hard as I can while clicking my tongue like Yukihana. The kick from my leg, which is nearly 180 degrees from the side, perfectly cancels out the impact of the ball on my face. This is when the flexibility I sometimes practice comes in handy.

I then kicked the ball as hard as I could with my opposite leg as it fell through the air. The ball rose more than ten meters and landed right where my teammates were gathered.

“Oh, wow, that’s amazing, Shiina !”

“If I’m not mistaken, your hip joints were really open !?”

I was the one who showed off my flexibility, which is unbelievable from a normal person’s point of view. On top of that, I’ve attracted a tremendous amount of attention for my long-distance passes.

(Aghh……I screwed it.)

I regretted that I should have taken the ball face-first, knowing the pain it would cause. I wasn’t being careless, but the P.E. teacher was staring at me. I think he was also the advisor of the soccer team. In many ways, he may have had something in mind for me.

At any rate, after that, I tried to run around the court as far away from the ball as possible.