Episode 82: Sports Festival Final

The storm-like lunch time ended, and after recovering in various ways thanks to a lap-pillow from Sara-senpai, I returned to the headquarters.

The events proceeded without a hitch, and the costume relay, a student-planned project, was surprisingly well-received.

It was a relay where each part of an outfit had to be carried in order to complete a costume; the fact that you didn’t just have to run but also had to dress the person proved to be unexpectedly difficult and intense.

This might be something worth doing again next year.

And finally, the cavalry battle began, which I was forced to participate in.

For the record, I was in charge of the rear of the horse.

Fortunately, the members were the relatively easy-going “isolated group” or “non-interference group” from the class.

「Well, let’s do our best without getting hurt.」

「I’ll try, but don’t drop me.」

「Aren’t we being watched weirdly?」

They were watching… me.

There was a high probability that the hate from this morning remained exactly as it was.

「Ah… sorry, it’s probably my fault…」

「Oh, right, that thing from this morning!」

「I’m actually pretty interested in what happened there too.」

「Honestly, this is getting interesting! Basically, it just means we’re surrounded by enemies, right?」

Huh?

Based on my past experiences, I thought they would be annoyed and tell me it was my fault…

Though they each had different reactions, they were all smiling.

「…You aren’t annoyed?」

「Are you kidding! I’m getting fired up!」

「Ah, this guy’s just that kind of character, so it’s fine.」

「Takanashi, you’re probably misunderstanding, but it’s not like we hate you or anything, okay?」

……What?

That was a very shocking statement.

It was true that since they were part of the non-interference group, they might not have any connection to those idiots who had a particular grudge against me.

「It’s a bit different, but just think of it as the enemy of my enemy being my friend.」

「You probably don’t know since you disappear from the classroom immediately, but those guys have more enemies than friends right now.」

「Hey, it’s starting!」

I was currently in a state of major shock, but a cavalry battle is a sport where you can get injured if you let your guard down.

Since there was a possibility of receiving a concentrated attack, I decided to stop thinking about unnecessary things for a moment and focus.

Bang!

Along with the signal to start, there were guys who charged straight at us.

「We can’t deal with all of them at once, so for now, let’s watch the situation while running away and then counterattack!」

The person riding on top gave the instructions.

I followed suit and began moving in sync with the front’s lead.

It was a bit tough, but the basic strategy was to keep moving without standing still and aim for inconspicuous spots.

When the pursuers thinned out, we would counterattack and then repeat the cycle of moving again.

No matter where we moved, we were targeted, but by dodging well, some of them ended up colliding with each other and getting crushed.

During the match, Hayato and his group’s horse followed to support us, so I think we put up a pretty good fight.

However, we were targeted far too much, and after crossing the midpoint, our headband was taken and we were finished.

「Ah, it’s over.」

「I enjoyed myself thanks to Takanashi!」

「You really love this kind of stuff, don’t you?」

「…I had fun too.」

Yes, to be honest, it was fun.

I hadn’t thought for a single second that I could actually enjoy a competition with my classmates…

The cavalry battle ended and it seemed the White team won, but my head was full of the fact that I had fun rather than the result itself.

Even when I was returning to the headquarters, people called out to say 「good work.」

Honestly, rather than being happy, it felt like I was being possessed by a fox.

All the events ended, and all that remained was the customary folk dance time.

I’m sure both boys and girls were expecting all sorts of things, but there is an unwritten rule that says you can’t dance with the person you like or the person you’re interested in.

…Well, do your best.

I had one final patrol after this, and once that was finished, I was scheduled to participate in the cleanup.

Just before I was about to depart, the member of the public morals committee who was supposed to circle with me was apparently being treated in the nurse’s office for a minor injury from the cavalry battle.

…And so, I am currently doing the patrol with a substitute.

「Takanashi-san, all that’s left is the area behind the school building where the flowerbed is.」

「Sara-senpai, was it really okay for you to leave the headquarters?」

The one acting as a substitute and accompanying me was Sara-senpai.

To be specific, when the topic of finding a substitute for the headquarters came up, Sara-senpai immediately pushed her work onto the President… I mean, she handed it over and volunteered to accompany me.

「Takanashi-san, how was the sports festival?」

Senpai asked suddenly.

Was she asking if it was simply fun, or was she asking how it was overall, including other things…

「Honestly, so many good things happened and there were so many surprises that I can’t say it well… but taking it all together, I think it was fun.」

It wasn’t a well-organized answer, but I conveyed it as my honest state of mind.

So many things really happened.

There were many surprises.

I felt like it was fun.

I even made a friend.

It had been a long time since I’d been to an event that became such a good memory.

But if Sara-senpai hadn’t been there, or if I had made up some reason not to participate in the sports festival in the first place, wouldn’t there have been a possibility of that?

Thinking about it that way, I feel like it was all thanks to Sara-senpai.

Conversely, was I able to give Sara-senpai some kind of memory or a return gift during this festival?

Something more…

From the speakers, the「Oklahoma Mixer」began to play.

It seemed the folk dance had started.

Speaking of which, how do you dance the Oklahoma Mixer again?

「Sara-senpai, can you dance the Oklahoma Mixer?」

「Yes, honestly I did not want to dance it, but it was necessary to learn it… Since you are asking like that, can you not dance it, Takanashi-san?」

Sara-senpai probably didn’t want to dance with men.

I feel like I remember it somehow, but it’s been a while since I danced it, so I wonder.

！？

Wait, we can dance just the two of us right now…

What should I do, is it okay if we’re a little late…

I agonized for a moment, but I thought it was unthinkable to let a chance like this slip away.

「Um… Sara-senpai, would you dance with me? I mean, right now…」

Since Sara-senpai is serious, there was a possibility she would scold me, but I took the plunge and told her.

「…Is it alright? If I can dance with you, Takanashi-san, I would be happy too…」

Apparently, it was okay.

If we’re both happy, there’s no problem.

Since time was precious, I didn’t ask anything else. I approached Sara-senpai and took her hand. Sara-senpai showed a smile and began to move in sync with me.

And until the song ended, a folk dance for just the two of them, with no swapping of pairs…

Was held quietly in the venue that was the flowerbed.