"Ah!"
Shouko, who had been chatting with Takagi, suddenly yelped, startling the girls around them in the changing room.
Ignoring their curious looks, she quickly slapped away Ayumi wandering hands.
"Ayumi-chan, what are you doing!?"
"I saw a mosquito about to land there, so I tried to shoo it away!" Ayumi said with an innocent smile that fooled no one. She tried to laugh it off, but Shouko wasn't that gullible.
Shouko glared at her wordlessly, her face puffed with faint irritation.
"Oh, don't be mad, Shouko-chan," Ayumi said, puffing up her chest in mock bravado. "If it really hurts that much, you can pinch mine back!"
Shouko blinked at her—Ayumi had said it with such confidence, even pride, that it took her a second to respond. Then, after checking that the buttons on her back were still intact, Shouko gave her a sweet smile.
That smile alone made Ayumi's confidence crumble.
But when she realized Shouko wasn't actually angry, she let out a small sigh of relief—
"Slap!"
"Shouko-chan, even if you're not pinching, you don't have to slap that hard…" Ayumi whined, covering the red mark on her side with a pout.
"What if they don't grow anymore after that?"
"Ayumi-chan, you're overthinking it," Shouko replied calmly.
Takagi, standing nearby, could only sigh as she watched the two bicker. She knew Shouko wouldn't move around too much today, so when things got a little too rough, Takagi would step in to stop Ayumi before things got out of hand.
By the time they left the changing room, all three girls' faces were slightly flushed. Akira, waiting outside, looked at them curiously—but wisely decided not to ask.
Something told him that if he dared to ask right now, he'd get an eye roll from all three.
As they entered the gymnasium, a familiar scent of polished wood and sweat greeted them.
The off-white walls of the building were lined with rusting drainpipes, and from the frosted second-floor windows, vague silhouettes of students could be seen moving.
Near the basketball hoops, a pile of orange gym mats leaned against the wall, and a volleyball net stretched across the center of the court like a giant zipper. In the corner, the sports equipment room stood slightly open, revealing stacked vaulting boxes and worn relay batons.
The chatter in the air quickly faded when the sharp sound of a whistle cut through the gym.
"Just in time. Assemble!"
As Akira and the girls changed into their shoes, the sound of rubber soles and clapping echoed around them. Nearby, girls wearing long black socks slapped their indoor shoes against their heels before lining up.
Under the directions of Ms. Nanase and the class representative, Ayumi, the class quickly divided into boys' and girls' groups.
After the warm-up exercises, the physical fitness test began in order.
"Shouko-chan, are you really okay?" Sana asked, glancing back at her from the line ahead.
"Just don't move too much, and it shouldn't pop open."
Shouko nodded reassuringly. There hadn't been any issues earlier, so as long as she took it easy, it would be fine.
Takagi exhaled and turned back to focus. At this point, no amount of words could stop what was about to happen. Those buttons weren't going to listen to anyone's prayers.
And as it turned out, Shouko's plan worked—for a while. The earlier tests went smoothly, though everything still felt unbearably tight.
"Alright, last event—sit-ups!" the sports teacher called out.
The girls paired up, taking turns holding each other's feet.
"Shouko-chan, are you sure about this…?" Ayumi asked nervously, holding Shouko's ankles in place.
"I'll just do two or three. Just enough to show I participated," Shouko said, waving her hand lightly.
She had made it this far; surely she could handle this too.
Ayumi bit her lip but said nothing more, only reminding Shouko to move slowly. She knew that out of all the tests, sit-ups were the most dangerous for the fragile state of Shouko's uniform.
Still, since Shouko planned to do only a few, it should be fine… probably.
The whistle blew.
Shouko began her sit-ups carefully, each movement slow and deliberate. She held her breath every time her back touched the mat, praying nothing would happen.
Until—
Pop.
A faint tearing sound reached Ayumi's ears.
Shouko froze mid-sit-up. She hadn't heard it clearly, but she could feel it—a button had just popped loose at the back of her uniform.
"Th-th-this… Shouko-chan…" Ayumi's voice trembled in panic.
Shouko's hand darted behind her, finding the one remaining button barely clinging to the fabric.
"Shh…" she whispered. "If I move gently… it should hold until I get home…"
She didn't dare move again. But not moving at all would also draw attention…
Sweat trickled down her flushed neck, tracing a faint line into her collar as she lay back on the mat, pretending nothing had happened.
By the time the test ended, her uniform was still miraculously holding together—barely.
"Ayumi-chan, should I wait for you at home?" Shouko asked as they left the school gates.
"Mm-hmm! I'll bike to your house first, park there, and then we can walk together to buy it. After that, I'll just bike back," Ayumi replied, hopping onto her bicycle.
"What are you two going to buy later?" Akira asked curiously.
Shouko wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and leaned closer, whispering softly into his ear.
By now, he was so used to the soft warmth pressing against his back that he didn't even flinch.
When he heard what she said, he didn't ask further—just nodded and started the bike.
He quickly caught up to Ayumi, overtaking her on the street.
He had thought about tagging along, but after learning what they were buying, he decided against it. Two girls shopping for innerwear didn't exactly need a boy with them—it would only make things awkward.
At half past three in the afternoon, the streets near the convenience store were filled with the hum of students heading home.
Dark blue uniforms fluttered in the breeze as they strolled along the roadside, their sneakers brushing against fallen cherry blossoms.
The rumbling of a passing train echoed from the bridge above, mixing with the crisp sound of a girl biting into an ice pop.
"When you go out later, be careful," Akira reminded, parking his bike neatly in front of Shouko's house.
"Akira, are you really not coming with us?" Shouko asked, handing him his helmet with a reluctant smile.
"No, you two go—"
Before he could finish, a faint tearing sound came from Shouko's back.
Akira froze, watching as her face turned bright red.
Before he could even react, Shouko yelped softly, clutched her chest, and bolted straight into the house.
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