Chapter 75: As If We’re Meeting in Secret

Xiao Chun Miura sat quietly in the midst of the heated discussion among the girls, silently eating her lunch.

Kondo Haruka, that strong-willed childhood friend.

She claimed the Borrowed Item Relay was her stage, that standing next to Kanzaki Sou was her right.

Maybe she was correct.

From a competition standpoint, it was almost impossible for her to lose in ranking.

From the perspective of status, the time spent as childhood friends was an “undeniable reality” for both her and Kanzaki Sou.

Xiao Chun Miura’s gaze darkened.

There was no doubt Kondo Haruka had the confidence to back it up.

But even if her actions seemed so justified in her own eyes… it wasn’t completely flawless.

There were still loopholes.

Mio Sato said Kondo Haruka was especially invested in this Borrowed Item Relay.

If that were true, given her busy club life, to devote extra energy to the Borrowed Item Relay would indeed count as “especially invested.”

But Xiao Chun Miura knew.

This, and only this point, could not be established.

She could claim how important this competition was to her all she wanted; making a statement was her right.

But what did she actually do?

Most days after school, Kanzaki Sou had been training with her, and he never brought up Kondo Haruka.

Even from the perspective of time arrangement, Xiao Chun Miura found it hard to believe Kondo Haruka had practiced much with Kanzaki Sou.

Of course, perhaps Kondo Haruka could perform outstandingly even without targeted training—just like she’d said before, in terms of ranking, Kondo Haruka being the winner was a foregone conclusion.

But sometimes, ranking isn’t everything.

If Kondo Haruka believed a higher rank meant victory, that was fine.

If Kanzaki Sou cared about results, that would be one thing.

But she had already said that day, “Even if it drags down the ranking, I still wanted to participate in this Special Fun Event.”

That’s why she invited Kanzaki Sou to pair up with her.

If Kanzaki Sou truly cared about the competition ranking, his attitude wouldn’t have been like that at the time.

Even if she couldn’t claim “victory” in the competition, it didn’t matter at all.

The real “win or lose” would be decided elsewhere.

Before the afternoon matches began, except for the Preliminary Events already held in the morning which didn’t need to be reposted, the schedules for the Final Events, Group Events, and Fun Events had all been posted on the Announcement Board.

The Borrowed Item Relay was arranged for the last two days of the Sports Day, with Class Group and Committee Group matches held on separate days.

“Ah~? It’s actually at the end!”

After returning from the chattering crowd in front of the Announcement Board, Yui Hori let out a disappointed sound under the tent where the other students hadn’t yet returned.

“I wanted to see Xiao Chun and you shine as soon as possible!”

“No, maybe this is good.”

Mio Sato analyzed, pinching her chin.

“The later it is, the more attention it gets.”

“If Kondo Haruka wants to declare her sovereignty by winning over you in the Borrowed Item Relay, then the more students there are to witness her defeat, the more embarrassing it will be for her.”

“When the whole school’s eyes are on you two, Xiao Chun, as long as you win, you’ll pretty much make Kondo Haruka lose face in front of the entire student body.”

Give me a break.

Just imagining that scene made Xiao Chun Miura’s scalp tingle.

“Eh~ But really, can Xiao Chun win against Kondo Haruka? That person feels like a natural-born athlete…”

Yuzuki Yasuda frowned and looked at Xiao Chun Miura.

“Xiao Chun, you seem like a natural-born literature type…”

“– There’s no rule that says a literature type can’t beat an athlete, right?”

Just as Yuzuki Yasuda finished her complaint, an unexpected voice came from behind them.

Of all the people most familiar with that voice, the first to realize who had arrived was Xiao Chun Miura, whose eyebrows twitched.

“–! Wah –!”

“Haha, sorry, it’s my fault for speaking out suddenly. If I didn’t scare anyone, that’s even better.”

“! Xiao Chun! It’s Kan—Kan—”

“Kanzaki—mmmph!”

Before worrying about the reactions of the other two, Xiao Chun Miura slapped a hand over Yui Hori’s mouth.

After the initial surprise, Mio Sato reflexively reached over to cover Yuzuki Yasuda.

That was a big help…

Xiao Chun Miura breathed a sigh of relief.

She was already used to Kanzaki Sou’s voice, so she didn’t find it strange. At most, she wondered for a second, “Why did he come here?”

But the others’ reactions were just too much.

If someone really screamed and drew the surrounding students over—

That would be another headache.

Xiao Chun Miura glanced at Kanzaki Sou, who wore a hoodie over his baseball cap, and couldn’t help silently complaining.

Even dressing to hide yourself, you’re still aware of your own popularity, huh.

It’s hard to know how to react to this.

Acting like a celebrity, preparing a disguise before moving.

“Miura-san, can we talk for a moment?”

“Huh?”

“–!”

“He said talk for a bit—mmmph!”

Almost at the same time, Xiao Chun Miura and Mio Sato clamped their hands over the mouths of Yui Hori and Yuzuki Yasuda from both sides to stop them from yelling.

Kanzaki Sou looked at the scene with an awkward smile.

It seemed he’d specifically waited for lunchtime to end, when the students dispersed to different places, and then came prepared.

“…!–!#”

Yui Hori had given up on speaking.

With exaggerated gestures and expressions, she signaled to Xiao Chun Miura.

–“Go! Xiao Chun! Go!”

–“Hurry up and make a move, Xiao Chun!”

Xiao Chun Miura narrowed her eyes, doing her best to ignore Yui Hori’s gaze.

“K-Kanzaki-san, did you need something from me…?”

A little flustered by the sudden visit, Xiao Chun Miura hesitated as she spoke.

Kanzaki Sou nodded.

“–There’s something I’d like to discuss.”

He paused, seemed to search for the right words, and then added in a soft, apologetic tone.

“…Can we speak somewhere else?”

Ever since he started talking to Xiao Chun Miura, his eyes had been fixed solely on her.

That gentle voice, like a feather brushing their ears, made the atmosphere between them instantly subtle.

The girls beside Xiao Chun Miura were so excited they could hardly contain themselves.

Even with her mouth covered, Yui Hori exaggerated her movements, her eyes wide as copper bells, signaling fiercely at Xiao Chun Miura.

Yuzuki Yasuda hopped on the spot in excitement, and not even Mio Sato’s tight grip could restrain the little one’s restless energy.

“Okay.”

After a moment of silence, Xiao Chun Miura finally managed to squeeze out a barely audible syllable.

Kanzaki Sou smiled faintly at Xiao Chun Miura.

“Then, let’s walk over there a bit, shall we?”

After Xiao Chun Miura nodded, Kanzaki Sou politely nodded to Yui Hori and the others, then turned to lead Xiao Chun Miura away.

Xiao Chun Miura almost stumbled along behind him, feeling as if each step was floating on clouds, utterly unreal.

And then, from behind, came the suppressed, nearly explosive excitement of her friends.