Chapter 71: The Hyper CarryAuthor: Geraint
Morning — on the way to school.Nejire was running ahead, with Ichika following behind her.
"Ahhh! I'm gonna be late! This is your fault, Ichika-kun! My perfect attendance record!"
"Why is it my fault? You didn't have to wait for me. My practice game isn't until noon."
"I had to wait! I can't leave you alone at my house. If my parents find out a boy slept over, they'll kill me!"
Nejire's face turned red as she remembered sleeping with Ichika in the living room.
Ichika sighed, then grabbed her hand. "Then follow me."
"Eh?"
He dragged her toward a quiet alley with no people around.
"W-Where are we going?!" Nejire asked, flustered.
"We're using a shortcut, Senpai."
Then, Ichika suddenly wrapped his arms around her. It was very clearly a hug.
"Ichika-kun?! What are you doing?!"
"Hold on tight!"
Nejire's heart pounded so fast her face flushed completely red.
"Waaaah..."
Ichika activated the space stone in his pocket, summoning a wormhole that instantly swallowed them.
"Huh?"
Before Nejire could even blink, they were already behind the school gym, near the restroom.
He let go, and she looked around in awe.
"How did you do that, Ichika-kun?! Was that your Quirk?!"
"Trade secret."
Nejire pouted. "What a meanie."
"I'll tell you someday, but not now. You should hurry or you'll be late."
"Fine... See ya, Ichika-kun!"
Ichika waved as she ran toward the building.
"Okay… What should I do until the game starts?"
Noon arrived.
On the football field, Ichika stood in the center in full soccer uniform. He was a starter.
Nejire cheered for him from the sideline.
"Yagi-san, we really need you! This team has never beaten them before!"
Ichika yawned. "Do you guys even need me? It's just a practice match."
"But we've never won against them! You're our secret weapon!"
"Alright, alright…"Ichika wanted to say he was the one cursed.
The referee blew the whistle for kickoff. Ichika charged forward and struck the ball before anyone could react.
"Huh?!"
The ball flew past the defenders and goalkeeper—straight into the net.
"GOAL!"
His teammates rushed to him in celebration.
On the sidelines, Nejire twitched."…Don't tell me."
By the end of the game:
Tokyo Junior High — 21Akita — 0
The opposing team looked utterly defeated.
Nejire handed Ichika a towel and a bottle of water.
"Seriously, Ichika-kun. That was too much."
"I just wanted to end the game quickly," he said, gulping water.
"What's next?"
"Baseball. Gotta catch up with their game."
Baseball field.
Ichika stepped up to the plate. The game was tight.
The pitcher adjusted his cap and threw a fastball.
To Ichika, it looked slow.
CLANG!
Ichika launched it into the sky.
"HOMERUN!"
He casually jogged around the bases as if nothing happened.
Final Score:Tokyo — 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 3 3 3Akita — 1 0 0 2 3 2 1 0 0 0
He'd arrived late… and carried the rest of the match.
"Next!"
Tennis court.Ichika was now in a white tennis outfit, warming up with a racket.
Nejire sighed from the sideline.
"Even tennis, Ichika-kun?"
"I'll be fine. I know the rules, at least."
"You've never played though."
"Nope. First time."
He tossed the ball into the air and swung hard—
It hit the ground.
Silence.
Then the ball crumbled into pieces.
"…This is why Kacchan and Deku never let me play tennis," Ichika muttered, picking up the remains. "The ball disintegrates when I hit it too hard."
He grabbed another ball and tried again.
"Okay! This time—gentle shot!"
Ichika lightly struck the ball… which suddenly burst into flames midair.
"Hiieee!"
His opponent jumped back in fear. The ball scorched through the back net.
"I give up!"
"…Winner: Yagi Ichika!"
Ichika grinned and gave Nejire a thumbs-up. She looked at him like he was some kind of monster.
"That's not tennis anymore, you dummy!"
Next match: Kendo.
Ichika now wore full kendo armor.
"I'm really sorry, Kohai-kun! Our captain broke his arm this morning, and we need a replacement!"
"I've only ever swung a tree branch. I don't know any sword skills!"
"You'll be fine!"
She shoved a bamboo sword into his hands and pulled the helmet over his head.
"This is just a practice match—just try to block his attacks!"
"Eh…"
Nejire watched nervously from the sideline.
"Is he going to be okay? His opponent is the heir to the Tenshin Shoden Katori Shinto-ryu—one of the oldest sword schools in Japan!"
"WHAT?!"
"You didn't know?! Ichika-kun has never practiced swordsmanship!"
"I thought he could just wing it!"
"Are you not even worried?!"
"I… have a feeling he'll be fine."
"…As expected from his girlfriend."
"I-I'm not his girlfriend! I'm just a friend!" Nejire stammered.
In the ring, Ichika's opponent glared at him.
"So, it's you…"
"Huh?"
"You're the guy Nejire-chan's been hanging out with!"
Ichika blinked. "What's your problem?"
"She's been smiling more! Acting prettier! And it's all because of you!"
"Thanks, I guess?"
"That wasn't a compliment!"
The referee stepped in."Ready? Start!"
"Prepare yourself! Tenshin Shoden Katori Shin—ACK!"
Ichika swung his bamboo sword once, interrupting the long chant. Their swords collided, and his opponent was thrown back, rolling across the mat.
"I… I can't believe it…!"
Thud.
He passed out.
"Winner! Yagi Ichika!"
(To be continued.)A/N: I'm sleepy. I'll continue tomorrow. I'll fix my mistakes later.