Chapter 164: Before the Sports Festival
Rainy season.
The weather was erratic, with alternating sun and rain — today was a gloomy, rainy day.
It was the middle of June, and the sports festival would be held next week.
That meant preparations needed to start this week.
Sakurai didn't like sunny weather, nor heavy rain. His preferred weather was overcast or light rain — the air felt better then.
Recently, he had signed up to get a motorcycle license. He had already finished the theory portion of the exam. The type he was taking was the standard license for two-wheelers; for larger motorcycles, you had to be at least 18 — and he wasn't, at least not on paper. Sakurai Saki had just turned 16.
The training sessions were boring. The first lesson was how to lift the bike, followed by figure-eight riding, weaving through cones...
For an Esper who could fly and leap all over the place, it was honestly dull. But Sakurai Saki wanted to live like a normal person, and whatever normal people had to go through, he would go through too.
"Good morning, Miko-chan."
ヾ(＾ ∇ ＾).
"Good morning, Sakurai-senpai."
(✿ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)⁾⁾
Iino Miko bowed slightly, as polite as always.
She wore a translucent raincoat. Her petite figure standing at the school gate made for a striking sight.
Miko was only 147cm tall — if she jumped up, she'd probably hit Sakurai Saki in the chest.
So cute~
"Did you catch Ai-chan breaking any rules today?" Sakurai Saki asked curiously.
He had arrived a bit late today.
Mostly because he had stayed up late last night with Hayasaka Ai (cat mode). Lately, his lower back had really started to give out.
An Esper getting exhausted from seggs — how shameful. But it wasn't like his partner was an ordinary person either.
Sakurai suddenly understood how those ancient men felt when female youkai drained their life force. What did it feel like? Probably exactly what he was feeling now.
"Hayasaka-senpai? I haven't seen her yet," Miko replied.
She still hadn't figured out the mystery of the Orca sticker from last time.
This time, she couldn't hold back anymore.
Miko flapped the sleeves of her oversized raincoat, her posture a mix of adorable and irritated:"Senpai, that photo of the Orca spraying water that you sent me — what exactly was that supposed to mean?"
"The Orca spraying water? Isn't it cute?" Sakurai liked Orcas.
"Wasn't there some deeper meaning?" Miko looked completely disheartened.
Seeing her disappointed face, Sakurai Saki decided to lie.
In his life, he had told countless lies — but surely, this was one of the worst.
"Miko-chan, that photo... you'll have to interpret it yourself," Sakurai Saki said with a sorrowful expression.
He even adjusted his posture to make sure Miko could clearly see the pained look on his face.
Miko: Σ(°△°ꪱꪱꪱ)
"...Senpai." Miko felt like she had touched a deep, painful memory in his heart.
Maybe… Sakurai-senpai had a tragic past.
Rumor had it he came from a single-parent family — his childhood must've been even more miserable than hers.
"Well then, I'll be going," Sakurai Saki forced a bitter smile at her."Live happily, Miko-chan. Don't let the past weigh down the present."
"Yes, senpai!" Miko nodded earnestly, "Senpai, you keep pushing forward too!"
Sakurai waved as he left behind the image of a lonely figure heading toward the school building.
'Haizz… If I had known, I wouldn't have asked him about that stupid Orca photo.' Miko sighed inwardly.
But still…
What the hell was that Orca spraying water sticker supposed to mean?!
Was it really just because it looked cute that senpai sent it to her? But his expression earlier — it didn't match that at all!
"Miko-chan, good morning~" a female student greeted Iino Miko.
Recently, because Sakurai Saki greeted her every morning with "Miko-chan," a lot of others had started copying him.
Most of them were Sakurai Saki's fangirls.
"Good morning, senpai," Miko replied politely.
Though a little shy, she still knew how to respond when approached with friendliness.
"Miko-chan, good morning!"
Another person again.
"Good morning, senpai." Miko didn't even bother to look this time.
"Ai-chan~ yolo~ good morniiing!"
Hearing that voice, Iino Miko finally turned her head.
"...Hayasaka-senpai!!!! Your uniform!!" Miko shouted after the retreating figure.
Unfortunately, no matter how loudly she called, Ai-chan — who had tied her uniform jacket around her waist — didn't turn around at all.
'Uuu~' Miko felt a sting in her nose.
How many times has it been now?
That annoying Hayasaka-senpai… One day, I'll definitely catch you red-handed!
"Ting~" Her phone chimed.
As the Disciplinary Committee officer, Miko continued her duties seriously and didn't check it until the end of her shift.
She glanced at the screen — a message from Sakurai Saki—
[orca_spraying_water.jpg]
Miko: (っ º - º ς)
So in the end… what the hell is this meaningless image supposed to mean?
————
Today, Sakurai Saki had lunch in the Student Council room.
Hayasaka Ai was eating in the cafeteria with her friends. Lately, she had often disappeared with Sakurai Saki during lunch, so rumors had started spreading that the two were dating. However, since neither of them publicly confirmed it, curiosity continued to grow.
Sakurai Saki didn't really care about such things, but Hayasaka Ai had straightforwardly said she didn't want to make their relationship public.
Sakurai felt Ai-chan definitely had some unspeakable secrets, but unfortunately, he currently had no ability to read minds or memories — a real shame.
Honestly, even if Ai-chan told him everything, Sakurai doubted there'd be any real trouble between them — such was the confidence of an Esper.
He stepped into the Student Council room.
"Sakurai? You're not eating with Hayasaka-san?" Shirogane Miyuki asked.
"She ditched me and went off with her girl squad," Sakurai Saki sighed.
"Sounds about right. Girls friendships are impossible for guys like us to understand." Shirogane poured a cup of miso soup from his thermos.
Sakurai glanced over. That thermos looked pretty solid — even kept soup warm.
"The sports festival's coming up. Parents can attend, right? Is your dad coming?" Sakurai asked about Shirogane's father.
The man's voice sounded just like a vampire character Sakurai absolutely loved.
"Probably just coming to watch me humiliate myself." Shirogane was terrible at sports.
"I'll register for tug-of-war and blend in," Sakurai said as he flopped down on the sofa.
Last year, he had stood out way too much during the sports festival, and this year, he really didn't want to participate.
Mainly because on that very day last year, he had acquired a superpower that increased his speed by 10 times. Though he had controlled it fairly well, he had almost shattered the physical limits of human capability during a simple sprint.
Even Usain Bolt would've dropped to his knees before Sakurai Saki and yelled — "Aniki!"
In short, to continue living as a normal person, Sakurai Saki was absolutely determined to avoid any participation this time. No matter who invited him — he would not take a single step onto that field.
...
He thought today would be just another ordinary day — but unexpectedly…
In the afternoon, the rain grew heavier.
By noon, the sky looked like someone had poured ink over it — not a sliver of sunlight could pierce through.
Inside the Student Council room—
"How the hell am I supposed to get home like this?" Sakurai Saki asked Shirogane Miyuki.
"I brought a raincoat," Shirogane replied, leaving behind a cool, brooding silhouette — it seemed he was heading out into the rain.
Only two people had come to the Student Council room today. Because of the rain, no one else felt like showing up.
Sakurai thought back to the time he spent overnight at the Nakano household.
After a moment's thought, he decided to cancel today's tutoring session.
.......
ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧.....I have a new fanfic, a Fate/go fanfic, please try reading it.