The moment I checked that task in the borrowing race, my mind went blank.
What was written was, the classmate you’re most interested in.
It was somewhat better than bringing a lover or someone you like, but it was a difficult task that could easily turn into a landmine if handled wrong.
It’s not that I dislike or have anything against lovers. It’s just that I didn’t want to cause trouble with any girl who might have feelings for the person I chose.
I didn’t like the possibility of that happening.
I thought about choosing someone as inoffensive as possible… even considering a girl classmate I’d like to become friends with in the future, but the one who came to mind was that guy.
Why… him…
It was truly unconscious.
No, no, that’s not it.
Wanting to get closer to him… I mean, we’re already…
At that moment, I stumbled over my words.
Already… what?
We’re classmates with a work relationship through housekeeping… if you take that away, what’s left between us?
I’ve never thought about it before… we’ve been together so often that it became a kind of habit, and I forgot to think about it.
If the housekeeping work ends and we’re in different classes next year, we’ll go back to being strangers.
I don’t think our personalities are compatible. We argue all the time.
If we part ways once, we probably won’t be able to have these casual conversations anymore.
After all… I don’t even know if I can call us friends…
The borrowing race is something you can easily fake.
Yet, for some reason, I refused to fake it.
I don’t even know why.
But right now, all I feel is a pure desire to pull his hand and head towards the finish line.
But… he… stood out…
One possibility is that there’s already a girl who likes him.
When I talked with Onee-chan before, she kept praising his looks.
She said his personality is charming too, but above all, he’s cool.
I don’t deny that either.
I didn’t say it, but among the people I’ve met, he’s one of the most well-featured. If he took a bit more interest in grooming, he could have as many fans as his little sister.
But I’ve never said any of this in front of him.
There’s no way I could say something so embarrassing…
I can’t let people think I like him.
That’s right, it was to prevent any weird misunderstandings…
But now…
As I was thinking this, time was passing by.
Suddenly, I looked at the audience and saw two competitors fighting over one person, creating a tense atmosphere.
Wait… if I keep standing still… could he be snatched away?
Seeing that scene made me think of the possibility of him being taken by someone else.
With him standing out, it’s not impossible.
What should I do… What if he’s taken for a task like someone you like…
And then, after reaching the goal, a confession. The answer…
That can’t happen…!
Before I knew it, my feet were moving on their own.
I roughly know where he is. I checked the black team’s area at the starting point.
As I looked around the black team’s cheering section, I made eye contact with one male student.
Could it be… he was watching me all along?
This might just be a coincidence and I’m being conceited.
But I’m happy about this fact that’s happening right now.
I feel the blood oozing from my injured knee from earlier.
It hurts and stings quite a bit.
Ideally, I’d want to stay still to stop the bleeding.
But now, I have to head towards him as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, someone might take him away.
I realized I didn’t want that to happen.
〇
As I pulled his hand towards the finish line, I had two overwhelming sensations.
One was the intense pain attacking my leg from the blood slowly oozing from the injury, making it hard to run.
The other was my heartbeat accelerating just from holding his hand, making me feel light and comfortable.
If I were my natural self, I would have kept a poker face to hide these sensations from him, but fortunately, I have to keep smiling infinitely due to my school persona.
Painful expressions are forbidden, but since I can smile, the second fluffy sensation was overflowing, making it really tough in various ways.
When Takumi asked about the task, I hesitated to tell him, but I started feeling embarrassed and couldn’t bring myself to say it.
W-Well… I have a perfect excuse ready to hide my embarrassment after the staff announces it, so no problem, right?
Everything was perfect until I handed the task paper to the staff at the finish line and explained the task to Takumi to make him understand.
Yeah… it was perfect.
I didn’t lie to myself, and I made Takumi understand, so nothing to complain about.
The problem is…
「──Are you okay with the injury?」
When I heard those words right after the event ended, my heart skipped a beat.
Especially because I thought he hadn’t noticed.
I tried to bluff it off, but it had no effect on him, and I had to resign myself to showing him my knee.
Uhh… to think I’d have to show him such a dirty spot…
I usually expose my bare feet in my room, but this is different.
Takumi suggested going to the infirmary after seeing the extent of the injury, but I couldn’t leave because of the upcoming selected relay.
Pride-wise, withdrawing here was not an option, and I wouldn’t allow it.
Or so I thought he expected me to say.
He immediately tried to pull me towards the edge of the field to wash off the germs, grabbing my hand forcefully.
There were many spectators around, including parents. Honestly, being pulled by the hand and walking in front of so many eyes was very embarrassing.
Weighing the comfort from his warm hand against the shame of being watched, the shame won by a narrow margin.
I somehow managed to convince him to let go of my hand.
──Light Novels──
──Read Here──
I know he’s worried about me, but my heart can’t take it in many ways.
When we reached the faucet, he brought a clean towel from somewhere and let me use it while I washed my leg.
He said it was his towel.
It was new, so I felt hesitant and sorry to use it.
But he said things like I was his priority, things he wouldn’t normally say.
What? Is he being kind because I’m injured?
Please don’t do this…
Some people say they’re weak to gaps, and that’s exactly me.
I don’t know how to react when I’m treated like this.
After wiping with the towel, he gave me something, calling it a good luck charm.
A friendship bracelet handmade by his little sister.
Apparently, his sister made it especially for this occasion.
Is it okay for me to accept this?
Surely, his sister made this thinking of him.
But he said this.
「…It is important, and that’s exactly why I’m giving it to you.」
I don’t understand the true meaning behind those words.
But the moment I heard them, I felt an inexplicable power surging through me.
Adrenaline? No, I don’t know.
It’s not that the pain disappeared, it still stings quite the same.
But I feel something warm coming from within my heart.
I can’t explain it well, but it’s something I sometimes feel unexpectedly when I’m with him.
That feeling magnified to the extreme… that’s how it feels.
Yeah… I can do it, I can do it with this.
It feels like something scientifically unprovable has taken residence in me.
「Time’s up. Do your best out there.」
「Yeah… thank you.」
I won’t look back anymore.
Because I’m filled with more power than ever before.
〇
「Ah, Michika-chan! Over here, over here!!」
By the time I arrived at the waiting area for the selected relay, most of the students had already gathered.
Maeda-san, a selected member from my class, spots me and waves to show me where to go.
「I-I’m sorry…」
Thinking I had caused trouble by being late, I instinctively bow my head.
「No, no, it’s not even gathering time yet, so you’re totally fine~ But it’s unusual. You’re always the super serious type who’s there 10 minutes before the gathering time…」
「Ahaha… I had a bit of an issue…」
「An issue??」
「Yes, I scraped my knee a bit…」
「Awawa… you’re right! Are you okay? Does it hurt?」
She noticed the change in my condition with just a glance at my body.
She was flustered, checking my complexion.
「I’m fine. I’ve done the minimum first aid.」
「If you say so, you’re fine?? …I guess??」
「Fortunately, the bleeding has stopped for now, and I’m planning to go to the infirmary after the closing ceremony just in case.」
「Yeah, yeah, that’s a good idea. Can I come with you? I’m worried.」
「Is that okay? Don’t you have things to take care of…」
「That can wait. After all, Hoshino-san’s well-being is more important than anything.」
「Maeda-san… thank you. Please do.」
「Yeah, yeah, we’re important comrades who have shared joys and hardships in relay practice. It’s only natural.」
Saying this, Maeda-san smiled and sat down in her designated spot.
「Look, Michika-chan, you’re behind me, okay? Come on, come on.」
「…Fufu… thank you.」
Following her lead, I sat down in my designated spot.
「By the way, Michika-chan, you’re the second to last to receive the baton, right?」
I nodded in response to Maeda-san’s question.
In this selected relay, the 400-meter track is divided in half, and each person runs 200 meters.
Five selected members from each grade make a total of 15 people passing the baton.
I was chosen as the 14th runner, the last in the second grade.
「It’s quite an important position in the relay. But Michika-chan will be fine for sure. Plus, our anchor is the fastest person in school.」
The anchor runs a full lap of the track, and we have the ace of the track and field club waiting. As long as we pass the baton to him, we’ll be okay, he’s that overwhelmingly capable.
「I’ll do my best not to be a burden.」
「Geez… Michika-chan, you’re so humble… It’ll be fine! If you run as you practiced, it’ll be a breeze.」
Maeda-san said this, probably to ease my nerves, but I won’t let it get to my head.
I’ll run perfectly for that guy who went that far for me.
As I was making this resolution. Maeda-san noticed something about me.
「Hmm? Michika-chan, have you always worn a friendship bracelet?」
Maeda-san points at the friendship bracelet wrapped around my right wrist with a puzzled look.
「Ahh… I wasn’t wearing it in the morning, but I put it on for the afternoon events. It’s for good luck. I wear it to make sure I perform well.」
「I see… I thought it was something related to a lover or something~~」
「Heh!? W-Why would you think that!?」
「Eh… I mean, Michika-chan, you’re right-handed, right?」
「That’s right, but…」
「In competitions, you usually wrap a friendship bracelet around your dominant foot, you know?」
「Eh…?」
「Hmm? Didn’t you know??」
Seeing me nod with a blank expression, Maeda-san looked satisfied and said this.
「I see… then, let me tell you a shocking new fact, Michika-chan. ──You see, wrapping a friendship bracelet around your dominant wrist. …It mainly means wishing for success in love, you know??」