Kondo Haruka’s voice wasn’t loud, but in the quiet stairwell, it seemed to echo endlessly, ringing clearly in the ears of Miura Koharu, who was hiding behind the wall.
Her heart clenched sharply, and she almost instinctively held her breath.
— What?
Miura Koharu hadn’t expected this development at all.
After sending that text, she had been anxiously waiting for Kanzaki Sou’s reply—the one that could decide her fate…
But at this critical moment, Kondo Haruka also brought up wanting to sign up for the “Borrowed Item Relay” with Kanzaki Sou?
No, then what should I do??
Kanzaki Sou still hasn’t replied to my message. Does that mean he really doesn’t want to pair up with me?
If he doesn’t want to team up with me, will he agree to team up with Kondo Haruka?
— If Kanzaki Sou teams up with Kondo Haruka, then I’m completely out of chances!
For a moment, she even felt the urge to run out, but such behavior was too reckless, so Miura Koharu forced herself to hold back.
In the “Borrowed Item Relay,” she, Kondo Haruka, and Kanzaki Sou were all Classmates, so they naturally had the quota to sign up as a team.
If Kanzaki Sou decided to participate with Kondo Haruka, then whether he replied to her message or not would become meaningless.
Miura Koharu’s heart sank.
She could almost foresee Kanzaki Sou’s answer.
Then, that action was rejected by Kanzaki Sou—because Kondo Haruka’s tone revealed her own confusion.
“Haruka, let me think about signing up for this.”
[Another view — Kondo Haruka’s perspective]
In Kondo Haruka’s eyes, Kanzaki Sou, who had just avoided her outstretched hand, maintained a half-turned posture.
The midday sunlight streamed in from above the stairs, casting the backlit shadow of a wall across his face, enveloping his features in darkness.
..Think about it?
“–Think about it?”
“Ah, I see. Sou-kun mentioned before that there was another event he wanted to join, so he couldn’t spare the time to sign up for the ‘Borrowed Item Relay’ with me, right?”
Kondo Haruka heard her own voice ring out brightly, just as it always did.
“Yeah, even if there are other events, as long as the times don’t overlap, you can still say yes to me.”
“Because I think it’s interesting, and I want to try it……”
“Sou-kun, how about it? Will you say yes?”
Kondo Haruka’s voice grew lower and lower.
“Haruka, do you really want to join just because it’s interesting?”
The silent Kanzaki Sou suddenly asked.
“–Yes! That’s right. Sou-kun, will you sign up with me?”
“Alright, I’ll sign up with you.”
When those words reached her ears, Kondo Haruka’s lips parted slightly, and after a moment of daze, she couldn’t help but curl them into a smile.
He agreed.
–I won.
“Haruka.”
As strange joy overflowed in the maroon-haired girl’s mind, Kanzaki Sou’s call brought her back to reality.
And for some reason—maybe it was just her imagination—Kondo Haruka thought Kanzaki Sou’s voice sounded a bit cold.
“–! Yes, what is it, Sou-kun?”
Kanzaki Sou’s gaze was indescribably odd, but Kondo Haruka, who was elated, had no room to care.
“If you’re participating in Sports Day, is your Tennis Match okay?”
…Ah…Mm, it’s fine!”
“The times won’t clash, and it won’t interfere with training. The Borrowed Item Relay should just be a fun event—so there’s no need to worry, okay?”
“Alright, I understand.”
“Mm! Then should we go back now, Sou-kun? Didn’t you call me out for—”
At this point, Kondo Haruka suddenly frowned and stopped.
“I still don’t understand something, Haruka.”
You haven’t told me why you’re upset.”
Kondo Haruka’s voice stuck in her throat.
She’d been so happy that she even forgot why Kanzaki Sou had called her out this time.
The start of this conversation was him asking her, “What are you upset about?”
…So why was I unhappy?
–Actually, it was because of what they’d just talked about.
Because of the Borrowed Item Relay…
Because of that girl, because of the message she sent to Kanzaki Sou.
Kondo Haruka had accidentally seen a message on Kanzaki Sou’s phone—after the last set of Tennis training, as she was packing up her clothes and towel to go home, she happened to notice the phone Kanzaki Sou had picked up and put down during his break a few minutes earlier.
When Kanzaki Sou distractedly set down his phone, he forgot to lock the screen.
So the message on the screen was fully exposed, and Kondo Haruka also saw the sender’s profile and remarks.
It was neatly labeled [Miura-san], with no nickname and nothing ambiguous.
But when Kondo Haruka saw the content of the message, she was already stunned.
When she moved her gaze and saw the remark, that shock transformed into a nameless surge of jealousy, burning fiercely within her.
That’s why she became unhappy and why Kanzaki Sou noticed.
–That’s why, when Kanzaki Sou asked, she responded as if competing or sulking.
She didn’t care about the Borrowed Item Relay or any other competition.
Just as Kanzaki Sou knew, someone like her—athletically gifted and willing to train hard—had already won enough prizes in minor events like Sports Day; fun competition events held no attraction for her.
If she participated, she would give it her all to win.
Things like fun events held no challenge.
–But Miura Koharu was different.
“Someone wanted to take Kanzaki Sou away, and even acted directly on it”—
Such a thought was impossible for Kondo Haruka to ignore.
Until now, she’d always regarded the other as just one of those ordinary girls who tried to get close to Kanzaki Sou.
But from the first time she met Miura Koharu, she’d left a deep impression—a negative one.
She was always wary of Miura Koharu, who, from her demeanor to her actions, differed from other girls who tried to intrude into Kanzaki Sou’s life, right up until she saw the message Miura Koharu sent to Kanzaki Sou on his phone.
Only then did she realize that the two had exchanged contact information at some unknown point—and had become close enough to message privately.
And so, she didn’t even know if she’d managed her emotions properly, but as her feelings swirled and then calmed, Kondo Haruka found herself using the other’s reason to invite her childhood friend.
–As long as he agreed to sign up with her, she’d have beaten that girl from Class (5).
Only by winning against her head-on could the knot in her heart be undone.
***
..It seems like I’ve won for now.
Because Sou-kun agreed to sign up with me, that means Miura Koharu has no chance.
During Sports Day, Sou-kun is mine.
But why is it that after all this, his supposedly caring words—
–still made me feel so uneasy?