Source
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5612jg/66/
The duel with Tokumatsu at the gymnasium opened with my defeat.
The remaining two duel events were the individual 200-meter run and the relay. For the relay, the 18 classes of the three grades were divided into three groups of six teams by lottery for the preliminary round, and the top two teams advanced to the afternoon finals.
My class and Tokumatsu’s class did not meet each other in the preliminary round, and each of them got first place in a different group and advanced to the finals……
(We lost on time.)
At the time of qualifying, my class was in 3rd place overall and Tokumatsu’s class was in 2nd place.
In first place is the class of 3rd graders.
One of the reasons we are losing is that Makoto is sitting next to me looking at the score sheet with me.
In the relay, the first runner runs 100m, the second 200m, and the third and fourth 300m and 400m respectively.
Tokumatsu and I are the anchors, but the third runner in Tokumatsu’s class is Makoto.
The third runner in my class was Rikuto, but Makoto had the edge in running ability.
(Makoto was also a serious runner……)
He is not a man who will cut corners even if you ask him to do so.
He said that before at the cafe.
“What’s up Ken? Are you nervous?”
Makoto, noticing my gaze, speaks to me.
“Next is the 200 meters, which is Tokumatsu’s specialty, right?”
“Well, apparently he participated in the prefectural tournament in short distance as a first-year student.”
How far would I be able to go against someone who specialized in the short distance?
The morning session ended with this question in mind.
(Now, what should I do about lunch……)
It was time for lunch break, and the students ate lunch as they pleased.
Those eating with their parents spread out sheets or sat on benches in the courtyard.
Makoto’s parents are also there, and although he was invited to join them, he refrained from doing so because he didn’t want to disturb them.
Rikuto said he would eat with his club members and the cafeteria was not open.
Since the morning was just around the corner, there was no time to stop by the convenience store.
(I guess all is not well. Well, even if I don’t eat……)
As I was thinking, I received a tap on the shoulder.
When I turned around to see what was going on, there was someone I wasn’t expecting.
“It’s been a while ! Kenshiro kun !”
“K-Kanna san !?”
Kanna san, my first stepmother and Fuyusaki Rena’s biological mother, had a gentle smile on her face.
“I-it’s been a while,…..how did you know it was me?”
“I can tell ! It’s about as big as my son’s back !”
Even so, I don’t think you would normally recognize me if you hadn’t seen me for more than five years…….
The elusive point seems to remain the same.
I don’t dislike Kanna san.
It was before I met Hananoi Misaki, and perhaps because I was really little, I have a rather favorable impression of her.
She is more like an aunt than a mother.
“So, what is it?”
“I haven’t seen you in a while, so I thought I’d surprise you. Are you looking for Kenya kun?”
“My dad is not here. Neither has my current stepmother.”
Needless to say, my dad said that Hitomi san also had a job.
“Then what are you gonna do for lunch? You don’t have anything by the looks of it?”
“Well, I thought it might be okay if I skipped lunch.”
“Of course not ! You’re not eating anything, are you?”
“No, no, I usually eat well……”
I think it’s fair to say that I feel more comfortable interacting with Kanna san than with other stepmothers.
I think the main reason for this is that we met when I was a child.
“That’s fine…..but what are you gonna do today?”
“Is that…well, I don’t know?”
“You don’t have a plan, do you?”
“It’s…..”
”It can’t be helped ! Come eat with us !”
“Eh !? That’s…..”
“It’s fine For the first time in a long time, let’s have a reunion together !”
Saying that, Kanna san pulled my arm and started to walk away.
I didn’t have time to resist and just let her pull me along.
She took me to a place near the club building where there were not many people around.
A sheet was already pulled down and Fuyusaki was eating on it.
“Rena~Hey～”
“Mom, you had to go to the bathroom for a long time, didn’t you !?”
“We bumped into each other ! I brought him here !”
“You brought him with you ! Mitsui kun !”
“Well, I couldn’t say no……Sorry.”
The most knowledgeable Fuyusaki, who knows how pushy Kanna san is, had no choice but to shut up.
I sit down on the seat as prompted, and the three of us eat the bento that Kanna san made.
If you look at it from the side, you won’t know what kind of connection we have.
“Now ! Eat a lot !”
Kanna san is smiling happily.
“I’m sorry about my mom.”
“No, I didn’t have lunch either.”
I’ve not talked to Fuyusaki in this way since that incident at the beach, so it’s pretty awkward.
Come to think of it, what was Fuyusaki trying to do at that time….
If, indeed, I am right, I wonder how she was feeling.
I naturally look at Fuyusaki’s lips.
“Um, what is it?”
Fuyusaki, noticing my gaze, says with a blush on her cheeks.
“Oh, no, I’m sorry. It’s nothing.”
I feel a little embarrassed and look away.
“Somehow, you two have become friends.”
Kanna san says with deep emotion as she watches our exchange.
“I guess so……”
“I don’t know if it’s because we haven’t seen each other in a while, but Kenshiro kun has become more mature, and Rena has become a strong person without even knowing it, and I feel lonely～!”
“Geez ! I’m embarrassed by that, mom !”
“Fufu, sorry, sorry, but there’s more! Eat it all !”
“Hey ! I can’t eat that much !”
It was somehow endearing to see Fuyusaki, who usually speaks in a formal manner, talking to Kanna in a childlike tone.
(It’s kind of nice. This moment)
And then, I had an answer.
What kind of presence Fuyusaki is to me.
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“The food was delicious. I’m glad I got to eat Kanna san’s cooking for the first time in a while.”
“Thank you, you can come and eat anytime you want, you two, good luck for the rest of the afternoon !”
After hearing the words of thanks from Kenshiro kun, I waved them off.
After they were out of sight, I went to the restroom and as I was walking back to the parents’ table, I saw the back of a suspicious-looking man wearing a mask, hat, and sunglasses peering out from a pillar onto the ground.
And I know someone who wears such a disguise.
“Didn’t I tell you that you shouldn’t wear that disguise because it makes you look suspicious?”
When I called out to him, the man jumped up and turned around with his shoulders bouncing.
After checking me out, he takes off his mask and sunglasses.
“H-how did you notice……”
Kenya kun says, breaking out in a cold sweat.
“There’s no one else who would disguise themselves like that.”
“No, no, I think there are a lot of people out there.”
“At least, not among the parents who come to see their children’s sports festival.”
When I say that, Kenya kun slumps his shoulders and falls silent.
“…..It’s been a while, Kenya kun.”
“……Yeah, it’s been a while, Kanna.”
I said with a smile, and Kenya kun returned it gently.
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