Kanzaki Sou crossed the finish line, ignoring the gazes and cheers around him, and walked toward his classmates.
Kondo Haruka was there, holding out a bottle of lightly salted water prepared for him to rehydrate after the race.
“Kanzaki-san! Kanzaki-san!”
“Kanzaki-kun is so cool!”
“Hey! Don’t crowd at the finish line! Leave the track immediately!”
The cheers, the praise, and even the blaring horns trying to disperse the crowd—all of it caused by Kanzaki Sou—seemed unable to affect him in the slightest.
He calmly took the water and drank, letting the excess droplets slide down his jaw.
Then, as he exchanged a few words with Kondo Haruka, the two of them left the finish area together with several other Class (5) girls.
It seemed he hadn’t noticed at all that he had passed by a plain, unremarkable girl he knew, standing at the edge of the track.
That girl was staring in the direction he left, lost in thought.
Whether in academics, looks, or even his posture on the sports field, Kanzaki Sou was as outstanding as a perfect protagonist.
Strangely enough, it was almost the same in the game settings too, except for the face, which wasn’t that important to players—after all, you couldn’t see the protagonist’s face while playing.
But the difference between the game’s presentation and what she saw from her own perspective now was worlds apart.
His radiance was too dazzling.
He wasn’t a blazing sun, but more like someone who could warm you with gentle light even in winter—a person who made others feel the freshness of spring.
There probably weren’t many people like that in reality.
Such thoughts suddenly surfaced in Miura Koharu’s mind.
After all, in real life, there were so many other factors that could affect relationships and cause all kinds of changes.
In a real School, even someone as excellent and flawless as Kanzaki Sou would definitely be rejected and disliked by a significant number of people.
Human beings are just that complicated.
When it comes to virtue, the public voice is one of praise—but when someone kinder than people imagine actually appears, they’re often labeled as show-offs or fakes.
If someone like Kanzaki Sou existed in reality, just being admired by many girls would be enough to make others resent him for no reason.
On top of that, “being admired by many girls” would probably become an impossibility that never even happened.
Miura Koharu felt a sudden tightness in her chest.
Even those classmates who weren’t even close friends, just standing beside Kanzaki Sou, seemed to radiate an enviable aura because of him.
This kind of thing is impossible in reality—
“See, see! I told you so!”
Hori Yui’s voice snapped Miura Koharu back to reality.
She shook Koharu’s shoulders excitedly.
“No wonder it’s Kanzaki Sou! Seriously, he’s so handsome it’s almost a foul!”
“Koharu, your face is so red.”
Yasuda Yuzuki pointed at her, looking as if she had discovered a new continent.
“Ah?! I-Is it…?”
Miura Koharu quickly turned away to avoid everyone’s eyes.
“It must be because it’s too hot…”
At that moment, as he walked across the Sports Field, Kanzaki Sou looked over the crowd, his gaze landing precisely in Koharu’s direction.
As if guided by fate, Miura Koharu met his eyes.
In that instant, her heart skipped a beat.
He looked a little surprised, but then his lips curved in a gentle smile, and he nodded lightly at her.
It was a silent greeting, belonging only to her.
“—!!”
Miura Koharu felt her mind buzz, going completely blank.
The surrounding noise faded away, leaving only that warm smile and the sound of her racing heartbeat.
“Wow! Koharu! Kanzaki-kun is looking at you! He’s smiling at you!”
Hori Yui’s shriek pulled her back to reality.
“Is he saying ‘wait for me’? He must be!”
Yasuda Yuzuki joined in excitedly.
“Don’t make things up…”
Sato Mio sighed.
On the other side, Kondo Haruka also noticed Kanzaki Sou’s gaze and smile.
Following his line of sight, she immediately saw the familiar figure in the crowd.
Her smile froze.
The joy in her bright eyes was replaced by a shadow.
She looked at Miura Koharu, her gaze filled with undisguised hostility and warning.
Across the noisy crowd, a silent battle had already begun.
The morning events proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Surrounded by Hori Yui and the others, Miura Koharu was occasionally dragged off to cheer for classmates or given various snacks, spending the entire morning in a strange, passive bustle.
Their conversations never strayed far from Kanzaki Sou.
Every event he participated in, even the way he drank water during breaks, could spark waves of discussion and sighs.
Miura Koharu mostly listened quietly, only joining in with a word or two when directly asked.
She realized she was slowly getting used to this kind of silly, good-natured interaction among girls.
During lunch break, they each carried their lunch boxes and found a shady spot under a tree.
“Sigh, all the morning events were so boring,”
Hori Yui said listlessly, opening her deluxe lunch box.
“As expected, the fun events in the afternoon are more interesting.”
She looked at Miura Koharu with anticipation.
“Koharu, the Borrowed Item Relay with Kanzaki-kun depends on you! You have to beat Kondo Haruka!”
“Yui…”
Miura Koharu was a little helpless.
“I told you, I’m just participating, and besides… Kanzaki-san is also teamed with Kondo-san for the class event.”
“That’s different!”
Hori Yui immediately retorted.
“The class event is a duty! It’s for group honor! But the Committee event is a ‘special activity’ for the two of you! The meaning is completely different!”
“Exactly, exactly,”
Yasuda Yuzuki nodded enthusiastically.
“It’s a battle for the honor of Class (5)!”
Miura Koharu once again felt powerless against their bizarre logic.
“But seriously, Koharu,”
The usually calm Sato Mio suddenly spoke, her expression more serious than usual.
“You really need to be careful of Kondo Haruka. I heard from a friend in Class 1 that she’s been preparing for this Sports Festival for a long time. Not just for the tennis match, but she’s also unusually focused on the Borrowed Item Relay.”
“Eh? Really?”
Hori Yui stopped joking, looking surprised.
“Isn’t it just a fun event? Is that necessary?”
“Who knows,”
Sato Mio shrugged.
“Maybe, to her, it’s more than just a fun event.”
Miura Koharu listened in silence, her grip on her chopsticks unconsciously tightening.
She knew Sato Mio was right.
To Kondo Haruka, that match probably meant much more than just ‘fun.’
It was a stage for her to assert her claim and strengthen her position.
And Miura Koharu herself was the uninvited guest trying to step onto that stage.