The gymnasium grew louder as students gradually made their way inside, dressed in their red school gym uniforms.
The students from Class B and Class C had gathered to begin their training for the upcoming Sports Festival.
I walked alone along the edge of the gymnasium, carrying a can of Max Coffee and carefully keeping it tucked inside my jacket.
This was my prize after training.
No, calling it a prize was a bit excessive.
It was my reward.
I carefully placed it in the farthest corner of the gymnasium so no one would steal it. There were prize hunters everywhere. If someone took it, it would break my heart completely.
It was the only thing that would motivate me to give it my all.
I quietly walked away from its hiding place, looking around to see if anyone had noticed me. Then I started checking it from different angles to make sure it wasn't visible to passersby.
But it was safe for now.
Suddenly, Ayanokouji appeared beside me without saying a word. He stood nearby while looking around the gymnasium.
Was he planning to steal it?
Should I move it somewhere else?
Didn't this place have security cameras?
I ignored the pale-faced Ayanokouji beside me and looked toward the students, whose numbers had increased as more late arrivals entered the gymnasium.
Happiness was obvious on their faces.
I suppose that was natural. The Sports Festival was an opportunity to show off your athletic abilities in front of your classmates, especially since high school boys tended to enjoy opportunities like this.
Well, even I didn't hate the Sports Festival.
At least it meant fewer regular classes.
"Ah, Hikigaya-kun, Ayanokouji-kun, how are you two?"
A cheerful voice suddenly came from beside us as a girl with long hair approached while waving her hands.
"Hello."
"Yo."
Ayanokouji and I both greeted Ichinose as she approached.
"Hikigaya-kun, how are you feeling now? You didn't seem like yourself a few days ago," Ichinose said, tilting her head slightly.
I gave her a sidelong glance as I remembered what happened that day.
Unfortunately, she had been there.
There was no way I could pretend to be stupid about it now.
Although Ayanokouji wore his usual indifferent expression while looking around, I could feel his gaze occasionally turning in our direction, as if he was trying to figure out what was happening.
What an annoying, curious guy.
"Umm... I'm fine. There's no need to bring up what happened that day," I said indifferently, pressing my foot against the floor.
Perhaps it was just another memory I was trying to bury in the deepest corner of my mind.
"Really...? To be honest, I was surprised by what you did. I didn't expect you to be the type of person who would resort to violence."
"Even I didn't expect it."
I looked down at the floor.
I hadn't expected the indifferent mask I usually wore to crack like that.
Perhaps I wasn't as good at suppressing my emotions as I thought.
"Ah... right..." Ichinose said, drawing an awkward smile on her face.
She must have felt uncomfortable because of my behavior.
It would be better if she left.
Especially since several eyes were following her wherever she went. Even though she had come to the farthest corner of the gymnasium where Ayanokouji and I were standing, people's eyes followed her.
This was annoying.
Silence fell over the three of us.
However, Ichinose didn't move. She continued standing beside us while watching the students around her with attentive eyes.
Should we leave and let her have some peace?
I wasn't leaving my spot for anyone.
I had to protect my reward.
And I wasn't leaving until Ayanokouji moved away.
"Hikigaya, are you good at physical exercise?" Ayanokouji asked in a bored tone while looking straight ahead.
I turned slightly toward him.
Was he trying to break the silence?
At this rate, he would become even more annoying than usual.
"Oh, of course. Put your face against the floor and count for thirty seconds," I said, folding my arms.
"...Why?" Ayanokouji asked, looking at me as though he genuinely didn't understand.
"It's an exercise that's good for your annoying face."
I glared at him.
But he didn't back down or avert his gaze.
He simply continued staring at me.
"Hahaha... Hikigaya-kun, you shouldn't make fun of other people like that," Ichinose said from behind us.
That made me turn around quickly.
Was she trying to scold me?
"Ah... s-sorry."
I apologized immediately, even though I hadn't really done anything wrong.
"You shouldn't apologize to me. You should apologize to Ayanokouji-kun," Ichinose said, placing her hands behind her back.
I turned toward Ayanokouji, who was calmly watching what was happening.
No.
I wasn't apologizing to him, no matter what happened.
Besides, I still believed my words were correct.
He should try the exercise.
It might actually help him.
Or, at the very least, we'd get his face out of our sight.
"Hikigaya, try blinking your eyes rapidly," Ayanokouji said, looking at me with a serious expression.
"Huh? Why?" I asked, taking a step back.
What was he talking about now?
"It's an exercise that's good for your eyes," Ayanokouji said before calmly turning his gaze forward again.
"You..."
Damn it.
He was making fun of me, but I couldn't insult him because Ichinose was here.
"Hahahahahaha!"
Suddenly, loud laughter erupted behind us, breaking the tension between us.
We both turned toward the sound and found Ichinose laughing loudly while holding her stomach.
Ayanokouji and I exchanged a glance, unable to understand what was happening.
Was she making fun of me with him?
What was this?
Wasn't he supposed to be the one getting scolded?
"Ah... sorry, sorry. Hikigaya-kun, Ayanokouji-kun, I didn't expect you two to be such close friends," Ichinose said, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Huh...?"
I froze as I stared at the girl in front of me.
Why did this type of girl always reach such stupid conclusions?
I regained my composure and put my hands in my pockets.
I had to correct this misunderstanding first.
"You've misunderstood. He's just an annoying classmate," I said, looking straight ahead and ignoring Ayanokouji's gaze beside me.
Yet he didn't stop staring at me.
"What? Do you have something to add?" I asked without giving him my attention.
"Yes. We're also neighbors," Ayanokouji said with an exaggerated sigh.
"Ah..."
Yeah, that was true too.
Although I considered it an unimportant detail.
"Really...? You two looked to me like friends who enjoy each other's company," Ichinose said in a friendly tone.
"Tch..."
I turned my gaze away from her.
No matter how much I explained, she wouldn't understand.
That's the problem with popular people.
They always think their perspective is the correct one.
My eyes wandered across the students present.
There were quite a lot of them, considering that two classes were occupying the same space.
Most of the faces were unfamiliar.
Wait a second.
What if some of them were from my own class?
That was a stupid thought.
"Ah, it's Yukinoshita-san... Goodbye..." Ichinose said, waving as she walked away after noticing someone in the distance.
Neither of us replied.
I remained focused on her path.
A girl with long black hair was standing there, wearing her complete gym uniform and holding a small notebook in her hands.
Yukinoshita had arrived at the gymnasium together with Horikita, so Ichinose headed toward them, probably to speak with them.
There hadn't been any official agreement between the two classes yet.
Until now, this was simply an informal gathering in the gymnasium to get things started.
"Hello," Ichinose said as she approached the two girls.
"Good afternoon, Ichinose-san," Yukinoshita replied.
Horikita simply nodded slightly.
"I think it's obvious what we're trying to accomplish here," Yukinoshita said with dignity as she held her notebook in front of her.
"Of course. I agree with this too. I think the best option is to train together," Ichinose said with a sincere smile that matched her words.
"Then there shouldn't be a problem," Horikita said hesitantly.
Perhaps she hadn't supported the idea at first.
"Yes," Ichinose said, nodding firmly.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Ichinose-san. I don't think there's any reason to waste more time. It's better to start now and establish our own pace," Yukinoshita said loudly, as though she wasn't only addressing the Class B leader but everyone present.
"This works for us too, right, everyone?" Ichinose asked, turning toward her classmates, who had spread throughout the gymnasium and were already forming groups with students from Class C.
Perhaps there wouldn't be any problems as long as we continued at this pace for now.
Fortunately, we were grouped with Class B.
They were much easier to deal with than the others.
"Look at them. The insects are gathering together to become stronger."
Suddenly, an unpleasant voice echoed from the entrance, announcing the arrival of trouble.
Ryuuen had arrived with his entourage, completely ignoring the fact that the gymnasium was currently reserved for us.
"Ah..."
I sighed tiredly as I looked at Ryuuen's shadow moving forward with his usual arrogance.
There he was again.
Trying to push his opponents around with his childish behavior.
I hoped this would end quickly and he'd leave.
Although he'd somehow learned about the gathering of Class B and Class C before it had even officially begun.
Should I consider that strange?
"Ryuuen-kun, you know the gymnasium is reserved for us right now. Please leave," Horikita said, standing in his way before he could come any closer.
Go ahead.
Do it.
Kick him out of here quickly.
I'll cheer you on with all my strength.
I turned my attention away from them and focused on something more important.
I had to make sure it was safe.
Hey, you with the glasses.
Move away from there.
That's my reward.
Don't stand next to it.
"Suzune, there's no need to be so aggressive. I didn't come here because of you. I'm looking for Yukino."
I shifted my gaze away from my precious reward and toward the entrance.
Ryuuen stood there with his idiotic delinquent appearance, looking toward the girls in front of him.
For a moment, my senses stopped receiving any signals from the outside world, as if I'd been completely disconnected from my surroundings.
Yet my foot moved forward without hesitation.
Then the other followed smoothly.
"Hikigaya, where are you going?" Ayanokouji called from behind me.
I froze again.
Ah...
Right.
What was I doing?
Was I actually trying to stand in front of Ryuuen?
Was I prepared to do that in front of all these students?
Confronting the leader of Class D.
What was my reason?
No.
There was no need to look for a reason.
It was my responsibility.
"It seems everything I've heard about you before was an understatement."
Suddenly, a cold voice echoed throughout the gymnasium.
Everyone present was watching the entrance, as if it had suddenly become the center of the universe.
I had become accustomed to hearing the cold voice of the Ice Queen.
But recently, it had lost some of its edge.
It had begun to disappear.
But at this moment, it had returned to its peak.
"I knew you were nothing more than a violent and reckless delinquent, but I didn't expect you to be rude as well. You've exceeded even my expectations," Yukinoshita said without a hint of hesitation.
She folded her arms and looked down at Ryuuen with overwhelming arrogance, like a queen sitting upon her throne while addressing a commoner from the working class.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Ryuuen asked with an arrogant smile.
"You haven't been given permission to call me by my first name, so you have no right to do so. If you're only trying to show off how strong you are, I recommend changing your methods."
"Fufufufu. Looks like there's someone else in this class who knows how to talk besides him," Ryuuen said, running a hand along his chin.
The people around them exchanged confused glances, unable to understand his strange words.
Yukinoshita, however, didn't move an inch.
She simply stared at Ryuuen with disgust.
"Don't worry. I'm not here to ruin things. I just came to see the miserable state you're in before crushing you and finding what I'm looking for," Ryuuen said, looking around as if searching for someone among the crowd.
"Winning and losing are both part of the game. There's no need for threats like that. If you're trying to compensate for your lack of points by behaving this way, I'll understand and step aside," Yukinoshita said, clearly annoyed by Ryuuen's empty threats.
Every time, he proved that he was nothing more than a fool obsessed with winning.
"Yukinoshita Yukino, right? I won't forget this," Ryuuen said provocatively, as though he were threatening her.
"Really? That suits me perfectly. Just so you know, although I may not look like it, I'm the type of person who holds grudges."
No.
You absolutely look like it.
Seriously, didn't you know what you looked like?
I covered my mouth with my hand to hide the stupid smile spreading across my face.
Yeah.
This was Yukinoshita Yukino.
Nothing could stop her, and she never needed anyone's help to stand against someone like this.
"Okay, okay, everyone, let's calm down. Ryuuen-kun, it would be better if you left. It's our turn to use the gymnasium now," Ichinose said, stepping between them to prevent the argument from developing further.
Ryuuen didn't move from his position.
He continued glaring sharply at everyone around him as though threatening them all.
Then he finally withdrew, pulling his entourage away with him.
I sighed as I watched his shadow disappear.
At least he had left.
Perhaps he was now obsessed with finding his new target.
But he might crush everything in his path.
Perhaps even himself before he reached his destination.
I turned toward Ayanokouji, who was watching the scene from a distance as though he wasn't part of it at all.
Just a spectator from the back rows.
Someone with no role in the main story.
Probably?