Episode 17 – Running, Friend A
Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16818093087122434729/episodes/16818622173817949858
Sometimes I wonder.
Why did I play soccer so desperately, as if my life depended on it?
I never slacked off during practice, and even now, I feel restless unless I go for a run every now and then. The effort I put in every day is engraved in my body.
On days when the rain raged, and on sunny days when the heat haze swayed the asphalt.
Was I possessed by something? Sometimes I even think that.
But now, as I run again after a long time, I realize one thing.
I must love running for someone else.
“Wait!”
A girl with a camera hanging from her neck. I chase after her down the stairs.
“!”
The girl caught sight of me chasing her out of the corner of her eye and headed for the hallway.
“Whoa!”
I followed her into the hallway, but almost collided with a student who was walking there.
“…Hey, Hayami? What are you doing here?”
It was Itakura. I managed to stop just in time, so we didn’t collide head-on.
“Sorry! I’ll talk to you later!”
I blurted out and slipped past him.
The girl’s back, skillfully weaving through the crowd, was already far away, and there was no way I could catch up.
“Damn! It’s impossible, isn’t it?”
I stopped in the middle of the hallway, and Itakura caught up from behind.
“Hayami, what’s going on?”
“Um, well…”
With him looking so worried, I couldn’t pretend nothing was wrong.
I decided it wasn’t the right place for a casual chat, so I took Itakura to the rooftop to talk properly.
***
“A friend?”
When I opened the door to the rooftop with Itakura, Shiramine tilted her head with a puzzled look on her face.
“!!?!”
Suddenly, Itakura stiffened his whole body as if he had been hit by a death spell. …Yeah, I knew this would happen.
“Senpai? What’s wrong with him?”
“Ah, this is my classmate Itakura, but he turns to stone when he sees a girl.”
That’s right, this guy. Itakura is a die-hard baseball player. He went to an all-boys middle school, and in high school, he was the kind of guy who would swing a bat even during breaks. And after school, he’s even busier with club activities.
In other words, he’s never really talked to girls before, so he has no tolerance for them.
“…senpai he’s starting to shake.”
“Yeah, he is.”
Itakura’s stiff body was trembling slightly as he tried to force out the words.
“My… name is…”
“Oh! That’s it! Keep it up, Itakura!”
Wow, this is kind of touching. I wonder if Dr. Frankenstein felt the same way when the monster he created spoke for the first time.
I was shouting in my heart.
Hang in there, Itakura! Don’t give up, Itakura!
“Um… What do you want?”
Shiramine was completely repulsed by this encounter with the unknown. She looked at me with a look that said, “is he okay? This guy…”
Well, I hate to say it, but at first glance, he seemed stiff, then he started shaking, and when he started speaking in broken sentences, it was scary…
“Um, Itakura? I’d like to ask you and Shiramine to listen to me.”
I didn’t really want to involve other people.
I told them everything about the newspaper article posted on the bulletin board after lunch and what was likely to happen.
“So, you mean an article is circulating saying that I’m, um, dating senpai?”
“Maybe.”
“H-heee, really? That’s quite a situation, isn’t it?”
…It’s not the reaction I was expecting. I thought she’d be more like, “I hate that!”
“I can’t forgive the newspaper club. Taking photos without permission and turning them into an article…”
“Oh, Itakura. You’re back.”
It seems that he has regained consciousness.
“Senpai. What are you going to do now? Even if you stop it now, lunch break is almost over.”
Saying that, Shiramine turns her smartphone screen toward me. Oh, her wallpaper is a cute penguin.
“Hmm, I guess I’ll have to contact them after school.”
“…Then let’s meet here again after school, Senpai.”
“Huh? Are you going to help me?”
“Of course. …I don’t know who it is, but it’s a sin to take Senpai’s photo without permission.”
Huh? What? Is my photo treated like some kind of special cursed object?
“I could help you too, if you want.”
“Oh, really? Then…”
To be honest, I don’t want to involve Shiramine. The first-year students have just entered the school and haven’t formed any relationships yet. I want them to spend as much time as possible on themselves.
I was about to ask Itakura for help after getting Shiramine’s permission.
“Itakura-san, right? I can handle this on my own, so please do your best in club activities.”
Shiramine said sharply.
“Ugh!”
Itakura’s body stiffened again and slowly fell backward.
“Hah! Itakura! Itakuraaa!”
Damn. What a terrifying little devil. She must have known what would happen to Itakura, who has no resistance to girls, when he was called by name. What a scary girl…
“After school, right here, okay? Senpai. If you break your promise for any reason, I’ll spread all kinds of embarrassing rumors about you.”
Shiramine’s mischievous smile was irresistibly attractive.
“What! No, that can’t be true. There’s no way you would know something like that…”
“Is that so? Even if I don’t know, I’m sure Ajisai san knows all about it, right?”
“Kuu, Onee san. Have you already been in contact with Shiramine…”
As expected of a popular girl. Her communication skills are sharp.
“Well then, senpa. I’ll go back to the classroom first. See you after school.”
“Oh, okay.”
Shiramine bowed politely and headed for the entrance.
Hmm. What should I do?
What I was worried about wasn’t the embarrassing rumors.
“Itakura… What are you going to do?”
After looking at Itakura, who was still unconscious, with pity in my eyes, I let out a big sigh.
–
–
If you enjoy our content, feel free to donate, Thank you in advance !