Episode 76: Sports Festival Part 1

Bam! Dodon!

From the morning, the sound of fireworks rings out.

It is nothing special, just the fireworks notifying us that the sports festival is being held at our high school.

If I were still the way I used to be, the sports festival would have been nothing but an event designed to harass me.

But the me now is different.

I have a place in the student council executive branch, so I do not have to stay in my class seats against my will, and I can be with Sara-senpai.

Today is perfectly clear.

It has not rained for the last few days, so the ground conditions are good too.

It is a picture-perfect day for a sports festival.

And just like last year, almost all of my events today are individual ones.

I left the house earlier than usual today.

It was to meet Senpai in front of the station.

Maybe because it is Sunday morning, there are fewer people than usual.

After waiting a bit, Senpai came into view.

She seemed to notice me too and gave a smile, but since she was carrying a large Boston bag, I hurried over to her.

「Sara-senpai, good morning. I will carry the bags.」

「Good morning, Takanashi-san. No, I can manage this much…」

I reached for the Boston bag and decided to take the luggage even if it was a bit forceful.

「Sara-senpai, I came to meet you specifically for this, you know? So for my sake, please let me carry the bags.」

It is unthinkable to leave Senpai carrying such heavy luggage.

Besides, if she were carrying that and I was carrying something small, it would be a point of criticism no matter how you look at it.

So saying it is for my sake is not exactly a lie.

I recently realized that looking someone firmly in the eye while talking is effective for persuading them.

So this time, I persuade her while looking her straight in the eye.

It seemed to have an effect, and Senpai nodded.

「I am sorry, then I will leave it to you.」

「Yes, leave it to me!」

The luggage was heavier than I thought, so coming here was definitely the right choice.

I went to the classroom once, and after the homeroom teacher finished his greetings, I headed to the grounds.

From there, I went straight to the headquarters.

「Good morning.」

「Mornin’~」

「Good morning, let’s do our best today.」

The President and Senpai do not seem to have arrived yet.

This headquarters tent is helpful in two ways.

It is a relief just to be out of the direct sunlight, but it also serves as a refuge for me.

While I was thinking about such extra things, the President and Senpai arrived, and everyone was gathered.

「Good morning everyone, let’s work hard all day today.」

「Good morning. Let’s do this without overdoing it, so that we can enjoy it too.」

The greetings from the two ended, and we were dismissed for a moment.

It is a pain, but there is an opening ceremony.

Specifically, the entrance march is a real nuisance.

By the way, it is a shame that I was put on the White team and Senpai on the Red team.

Once the opening ceremony ended and the students returned to their respective class seats, I headed straight for the headquarters.

I don’t have a turn for a while, so I have plenty of time.

By the way, my participating events are the 200m dash, the scavenger hunt, and the ball toss, which are all events where I can move individually.

The forced participation in the cavalry battle was what I hated most… well, I am just a horse anyway, so I will just match my movements with the others.

When I arrived at the headquarters, the Senpai from the broadcasting club was already preparing. Now that I think about it, I realized just now that I haven’t properly greeted this person.

「Good work. I’ll be in your care today.」

「Good work. I’ll be counting on you today, Takanashi-kun.」

It seems she knows about me.

「Ah, sorry, I haven’t introduced myself, have I? I’m Fukasawa Minami. I’m the broadcasting club’s “Minamin.”」

Come to think of it, the person reading requests and notices during the lunch break broadcast called themselves「Minamin.」So it is her.

「I’ve heard about Takanashi-kun from Natsumi-chan. Nice to meet you!」

She said that and gave a cute laugh.

My first impression is that she seems like a very approachable person.

But if she is Natsumi-senpai’s friend, I wonder if she is also friends with Sara-senpai.

「To be honest, I have no idea how things will go with Satsukawa-san doing live commentary, so please follow up if we run into trouble, okay?」

「I’ll do my best with whatever I can do for now.」

From the feel of it, she might not be that close with Sara-senpai.

Honestly, being told to follow up during the commentary is a bit of a problem.

I have no idea what I should be doing.

「Sorry to keep you waiting.」

Sara-senpai arrived.

「Fukasawa-san, I look forward to working with you today.」

「Good to have you, Satsukawa-san. Ah, call me “Minamin.”」

「Let us confirm the competition details, Fukasawa-san.」

She’s ignoring it… I think that is impossible for Senpai.

「Takanashi-kun, use this chair.」

The President brought a chair next to the commentary desk.

Is it really okay for me to be here… I’m happy, though.

There was a piece of paper stuck to the back of the chair.

「Reserved for Takanashi. Use by anyone other than him is forbidden.」

…The teachers won’t get mad about this, right?

If anyone says anything, I will honestly say the President did it.

「Now then, Takanashi-san, please take a seat.」

For some reason, Senpai happily recommended the seat to me.

She doesn’t actually like that “Reserved for Takanashi” sign, does she?