Episode 20 – Beloved Person

Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/16817330668330007208/episodes/16818023211788272610

“Seriously, I made it to the finals, but …… this is a as expected. ……”

The final game. The opponent is the third group.

Almost all of the starting members over there, including the ace, are members of the volleyball team. Facing an enemy with a clearly different atmosphere, Inukai and the rest seemed to have given up.

Hey, Orimura! I’m sorry I had to take the prince away from you! Well, I’ll go easy on you a little, so let’s make this a fun match!”

Ace was grinning, as if he already thought he had won.

I took a quiet breath and looked at the other members of the team.　

“Let’s just put our bodies to the ball as it comes to us. Also, if you have a chance to attack, would you please let me do it? –I’m going to punch him in the face.”

“O-ou…….”

Inukai replied, and the other members nodded in unison.

Then the whistle blew, signaling the start of the match.

◆

“Prince! Turn around!”

“Kyaa! Prince Charming!”

“Oh! I just made eye contact with the prince!”

Boys play volleyball in the gym.

The girls played softball on the field.

Our class was currently playing a game, and we were on our last attack.

“Prince, you’re still incredibly popular.”

“Even though she’s just sitting on the bench!”

“I’m glad you’re encouraging me, but it bothers me that you won’t listen to me when I tell you to stop because you’re bothering everyone.”

While I was just sitting on the bench waiting for my batting order, the girls in another class were cheering enthusiastically for me.　

Seeing me like that, the other classmates chuckle.

“Yes, yes. I just heard that the boys are more impressive than the girls.”

“Impressive? What?”

“I heard that Orimura-kun is on a rampage.”

“…..Is he in a brawl?”

“No, it’s not that. – …… ah, it’s over.”

Three out.

Game set.

With this, our class was eliminated from the tournament.

Now it’s free time.

I can cheer for the girls or cheer for the boys in the gym.

So I quickly go to see Arata.

“He’s totally different from when he usually comes to help out!”

“I ain’t hearing this shit!”

“He’s coming! Stop him for sure!!!”

Just then, our class was in the middle of a game.

The final game.

Our opponent was the third group.

The score is …….Eh?

They got 3 points and we got 24 points! That’s a match point!

Serving is Arata.

He throws the ball, runs out, steps in, and jumps high.

—-BANG!

The resounding sound of the ball being hit.

The professional-looking jump serve reaches the opponent’s court in the blink of an eye.

It hit the ace of the volleyball club who had confessed to me directly in the face, and went straight back to the court of Arata side.

“Inukai!”

“Oh! Decide it for him!”

Inukai tosses the ball and Arata hits a powerful back attack.

The ball again caught the ace in the face, flew high and high, and caught him in the gap between the ceilings.

The game is over.

Thus, our class won the championship.

E-Even though it was the final game, and the other side was almost a Volleyball team, this point difference is ……?

I know how athletic Arata is, and it is a well-known fact that he always achieves good results when he is called upon to help out in the sports club. However, he is not the type of person who gets this pissed off, and at an event like this, where the goal is to have fun, he will to a certain extent pull his own weight.

He’s been acting strange since this morning, and he’s acting strange now, too. It’s more like he’s devilish or angry. ……

“Damn! Why? Why the hell!”

Completely defeated in his own area of expertise, Ace was punching the floor with a sad cry. Arata didn’t pay any attention to him, but approached me as soon as he spotted me.

“Come here a minute.”

“Eh? ah, yeah. …….”

He said in a strong tone and grabbed my wrist.

We leave the gymnasium while the girls in my class scream and scream, wondering what they have misunderstood.

Go through the hallway, away from the hustle and bustle, and into the dimly lit space under the stairs.

Arata pushed me against the wall and tried to keep me from running away.

F-face is so close!

And isn’t this what you call a Kabedon!?”

“I won.”

“Congratulations, ……. I saw that.”

“Now you’re not going out with that guy from the third group, are you?”

“Eh ……?”

I hadn’t told him about the confession, partly because Arata had been in a bad mood since this morning.

But if you know, then you heard that one. ……

“That’s right, I’m not going out with him. There’s no way I’d go out with him.”

“…… really?”

“Y-yeah. Why do you doubt ……?”

“……I-I’m …….”

“Hmm?”

“…The fact that you took such an unfair bet without thinking about the possibility of me losing, I wonder if somewhere in your heart you think it’s okay to go out with him… So…”

Arata’s eyebrows curved into a figure eight, and his mouth moved in a slurred manner.

…..What, what’s with that face?

I’ve known you for quite a long time, but I’ve never seen it before,……?

“Maybe you don’t like it when I go out with someone ……?”

“It’s not that I don’t like …… it, it’s just, what can I say, um ……?”

The gaze swims, the head twists, the mouth moves.

After spending a lot of time, his lips finally made a sound.

“I-I….don’t like….it…….”

“!?”

Arata has become possessive of me ……!

Why, why did it happen!

What did I do? I didn’t give him some kind of love potion or something, did I!

“Ah damn……!”

He said in frustration and scratched his head wildly.

His eyes were clearly the color of self-loathing.

“I…I’m saying something really disgusting right now. It’s your life after all, so you should do whatever you want with it.”

Spilling out, Arata took a step backward, “Forget it.”

I can’t let him go home like this.

We can’t end this discussion.

–I thought so intuitively, and my body began to move.

“Wait a minute!”

I stopped him and hugged him as hard as I could.

I hugged him tightly so that he wouldn’t go anywhere.

◆

“H-hey, Kurusu. I’m sweating pretty hard. ……!”

“I know.”

“Then get off…”

“No.”

I put my arms behind my back and Kurusu was snuggled up against me.

This is a school.

I can hear the noise from the gymnasium, reflecting off the walls and floor of the hallway. In the distance, I can hear the sounds of other grades working on their classes. Someone is right there.

And yet, we are doing something that would be very bad if anyone saw us.

My heart jumps at the situation, and my breathing is disturbed by her body heat.

“I’m sorry I took the liberty of doing this without consulting you. But I believed that you wouldn’t lose.”

“I-I see. ……”

“I’m not going to go out with anyone. I….want to be with you all the time. I promised you that I won’t let you be lonely anymore.”

I gasped at those words.

I was in elementary school.

That was the promise she made when she welcomed me into her home.

We were under the same covers, innocently tying our pinky fingers together in the dark, chanting nonsense without really knowing what it meant. Kurusu’s kind words to reassure me.

It’s a precious memory for me, but I never said aloud that I shouldn’t bind Kurusu with such a meaningless promise.

…But did Kurusu remember it too?

That was nothing.

“Even if we didn’t have such a promise, Arata would still be my escort, right? Even if he wanted to quit, I would never let him do so. We don’t have a labor code.”

“…… super black company.”

“Yes, it is. You’re lucky you met me.”

She suddenly raised her head and smiled mischievously, showing her white teeth.

I naturally started to smile, and the fact that I was so nervous just now became ridiculous. The thorns are removed from the inside of my chest, and a refreshing breeze blows through me.

……I see.

I finally understood why I was so irritated, and why I didn’t like the idea of Kurusu having a boyfriend.

When I understand, …… what a simple story.

Haha.

I’m a kid, am I?

Funny.

It’s stupid.

It’s not difficult or anything.

Nothing complicated.

It’s just simple.

I like Kurusu.

–