Chapter 20: P.E. Class
Takasu Ryuji, a boy who was originally a bit withdrawn, met a girl he fell in love with at first sight after his situation gradually improved.
Since this was the first time he had ever experienced something like this in his life, the boy naturally couldn't hide his emotions well.
Although Kaede was good at keeping secrets, Takasu Ryuji himself failed to do so. The very next day, Kitamura Yusaku—who wore glasses but had sharp eyes—noticed something was up.
When they went to buy drinks together after lunch, Kitamura Yusaku suddenly hooked his arm around Takasu Ryuji's neck and said with a smile, "Spill it. Is there something you're hiding from us? I can tell your mood is a little off today."
"Uh..."
Takasu Ryuji froze. He hadn't expected the other person to see through him immediately, and his gaze couldn't help but drift toward Kaede on the other side.
Kaede saw this and immediately signaled with his eyes that he hadn't said anything.
Kitamura Yusaku saw this interaction and realized, "So it's not just Takasu; Asakura, you're helping him keep it a secret too? It must not be a small matter, then. I'm getting even more curious."
"..."
Pushing up his glasses, Kitamura Yusaku looked at the silent Takasu Ryuji and smiled slightly: "You won't tell me? It seems very important to you, Takasu. But that's fine, I'll observe for myself. That way, it'll be more rewarding."
Time moved on to the afternoon P.E. class.
Today's P.E. class was a joint session for Class A and Class C. Kaede spotted Eriri far off on the other side, but he didn't go over to greet her because they first had long-distance running training.
Takasu Ryuji and Kaede ran side-by-side, Takasu Ryuji whispering, "Asakura, what should I do? Kitamura is keeping an eye on me."
As he spoke, he glanced at Kitamura, who was leading the run ahead.
Hearing Takasu Ryuji say that, Kaede gave the guy a speechless look and replied, "In the end, didn't you expose yourself? If you ask me, either you confess everything, or you just don't act so obviously next time."
"Uh... was I really that obvious?"
"What do you think? Things are already like this. If we have joint P.E. class again, won't you be completely exposed?"
"Will we really be scheduled together again?"
"..."
This kid is hopeless. Just wait for the inevitable.
Kaede shook his head, patted Takasu Ryuji's shoulder, and stopped talking to conserve energy, focusing on running.
After two laps, they rested briefly, and the P.E. teacher arranged activities. Both classes were scheduled for various ball games at this time.
Kaede originally wanted to hide in a corner to sunbathe and space out, but he was immediately dragged to the basketball court by the quick-witted Kitamura Yusaku, who said they had arranged a small match against Class A.
"Asakura, you're one of the tallest guys in the class. Come join us."
"That's right, Asakura. Even Takasu is playing, so you should join too."
Faced with the boys' invitations, Kaede couldn't refuse and had to join the game.
Among the five boys playing, Takasu Ryuji was the weakest, so his only requirement was to defend opponents and pass the ball. The main offensive roles were given to Kaede and another boy who regularly played basketball.
Kitamura Yusaku glanced at the boys from Class A and said to Kaede, "Asakura, will you be okay?"
"Don't worry, none of them have very strong physiques. It looks like they don't practice much. I won't need to play dirty to handle them."
"...Playing dirty is too much. We're just playing casually."
"Relax, I was just joking."
Patting Kitamura Yusaku's shoulder, Kaede smiled brightly, "I know my limits."
The game started quickly, and the P.E. teacher was pulled over by the boys to serve as the referee.
Taking advantage of his height and jumping ability, Kaede got the ball first, immediately passed it to Kitamura, and then ran toward the opponent's half of the court.
Although Kitamura belonged to the Softball Club, he played basketball often. Seeing Kaede's move, he knew they were going for a fast break, so he dribbled after him and passed the ball at the right moment.
After receiving the ball, Kaede accelerated again toward the backboard, easily faked out two people, and scored with a layup.
The boys from Class C couldn't help but cheer when they saw Kaede's smooth, flowing movements.
"Asakura, that was amazing!"
"I thought your skill level was just average, but you're this good!"
The boys from Class A were somewhat stunned. Three of them had even joined the basketball club; although they weren't experts, they had been practicing for a week and had achieved some results. Their competitive spirit was immediately ignited, and they quickly served the ball, aiming to score back.
The two sides continued to play back and forth. Kaede's basketball skills were only above average, but he mainly won due to his physical conditioning from years of exercise. However, the overall skill level was slightly lacking due to Takasu Ryuji's poor performance.
Fortunately, Takasu Ryuji's intimidating gaze always managed to produce unexpectedly good results when guarding someone, genuinely creating opportunities for their side. This left Kaede and the others unsure whether to laugh or cry.
The commotion on the court eventually caught the attention of many people from both classes after a while, especially with the arrival of some girls, which made several boys act as if they had been injected with adrenaline.
Regarding this, Kaede could only say that they were all too young and got carried away so easily.
Looking at the Class A boy who was marking him, eager to show off in front of him, Kaede silently shook his head. He faked a move, directly shook off his opponent, and scored with a mid-range jump shot.
As more and more people gathered to watch from the sidelines, Kaede had been playing for over 15 minutes.
Sweating quite a bit, he spoke to Kitamura and then found someone from his class to substitute for him, leaving the court directly. He wasn't very interested in showing off or winning; he had already enjoyed himself enough, and there was no need to keep playing.
After leaving the court, he first went to wash his face, then sat down on some steps outside the stadium. He let out a sigh, waiting for class to end so he could go to the changing room, change his clothes, and wipe off the sweat.
After a few minutes of rest, Eriri's voice came from behind him.
"Here, a gifts (comfort item)."
Turning around, he saw Eriri, dressed in sportswear, holding out a sports drink.
Her usual twin tails were now tied into a long single ponytail, which had a unique charm.
"Thank you."
Smiling, Kaede took the drink and took a big gulp, saying, "Someone brings me a drink right after I exercise. Eriri, you really are thoughtful."
"Hmph hmph, this is my thanks for you playing games with me before! Eriri-sama is very grateful!"
Saying this, Eriri also sat down next to him, and the two of them chatted back and forth.
Of course, the content was definitely related to otaku culture.