“Yes, Miura-san, you didn’t misunderstand.”
“I’m willing to team up with you.”
Hearing Kanzaki Sou say that, Xiao Chun Miura, who had just been so cautious and careful, felt her heart instantly fill with satisfaction.
“.–!”
She had no idea what kind of expression she was making right now, but anyway–
Anyway, she’d succeeded, right?!
No matter what, after saying this much, there shouldn’t be any more obstacles.
Unless Kondo Haruka suddenly popped up from somewhere—unless that chestnut-haired girl with maroon curls dashed out from the side of the stairs, from the shadows of the bushes, or from the rubber track behind the library on the playground, then pointed at her and Kanzaki Sou and loudly scolded, “I finally caught you two! The evidence is clear! What do you sneaky cats have to say for yourselves?!”
That possibility was too low, almost impossible.
If it really happened, she’d have to doubt whether this place was still the world of that literary romance adventure game she knew.
Because it’s clearly just a prank. For a childhood friend to pop out from a corner at a time like this—isn’t that a typical gag from a main-character prank-type game?
“….Too good.”
Murmuring softly, Xiao Chun Miura finally relaxed her tense heart.
As long as she confirmed Kanzaki Sou’s agreement, all that was left was to sign up.
The thing that had made her anxious for so long was finally taking its first official step forward.
“If everything’s settled, let’s go fill out the form. Is Sakura-sensei in the library now?”
“Ah… Yeah!”
Snapped back to reality from her joy by Kanzaki Sou’s words, Xiao Chun Miura raised her head and replied instinctively.
“–If it’s Sakura-sensei, she’s there.”
“Good, then let’s go.”
Without another word, Kanzaki Sou walked toward the open back door of the library.
“After all, lunchtime is almost over…”
“–Don’t let time stand in our way.”
“–Mm, mm!”
The boy’s smile faded from Xiao Chun Miura’s sight as his face turned away, his voice drifting further from her as well.
Because of Kanzaki Sou’s already moving steps and the gradually distant sound, Xiao Chun Miura could only move her own legs to follow.
Up until just now, Xiao Chun Miura had been quite elated, but at this moment, as she gazed at the back of Kanzaki Sou’s head, unable to see his face, a strange emotion flickered through her vision.
Indeed, after successfully confirming that the next step could proceed smoothly, a sense of relief, almost like escaping death, surged into Xiao Chun Miura’s heart in a short moment.
But just like the tide comes and goes in an instant… That undeserved joy did as well.
Behind the confirmation of a lifeline, Xiao Chun Miura’s heart was suddenly wrapped in a heaviness that replaced happiness.
…….– She wished she didn’t have to keep lying.
She really did express a lot of her true feelings.
But still—
…Ah.
She lied to him again.
She couldn’t tell him everything behind the scenes.
She couldn’t turn all the lies into truth and speak them out loud.
Poor health, never participating in a sports festival, and other things—those facts matched her real self even in reality.
But the reason for joining the sports festival wasn’t about wanting to change.
That was already fabricated in her mind back and forth at the time she edited the message inviting Kanzaki Sou to sign up together for the Borrowed Item Relay.
–It was entirely just an “excuse”.
The reason for inviting Kanzaki Sou was simply because “it had to be him” and “only he made it meaningful”.
If it weren’t for the fact that not inviting Kanzaki Sou to the sports festival would mean her own death, how could she have done all that?
All those were elaborately crafted so Kanzaki Sou would believe her words, accept her invitation, and for the sake of appearances.
–They were all just “lies” to achieve her goal.
Even if she worked hard to accomplish what she wanted to do.
In the end, she could only betray her own will.
Biting her lip tightly as she stared at Kanzaki Sou’s back, Xiao Chun Miura forced herself.
…I can’t think about these things anymore.
–Even if I have to, I should at least wait until I survive.
Once I confirm my survival, no matter how much I reflect or repent afterward, it’s fine.
On the other hand, if I don’t make it, no matter how seriously I reflect or sincerely apologize now…
..Mm, it’s meaningless.
Moreover, it would render all my previous efforts pointless.
That would be too ridiculous.
She absolutely couldn’t accept such an ending.
So, to prevent things from ending up that way, even if she started to hate herself now, she absolutely couldn’t stop moving forward.
Forcing herself to accept this, Xiao Chun Miura ignored all her guilt and shame, tensed her expression, and worked even harder as a girl striving to survive.
***
The good news was that, despite Xiao Chun Miura’s emotions fluctuating between the joy of a successful plan and the heaviness of going against her own wishes, nothing unexpected happened during the registration process.
Arriving at the front desk with Kanzaki Sou, Xiao Chun Miura and he together woke up Sakura-sensei, who had dozed off again.
After explaining their purpose, Sakura-sensei didn’t ask many questions and simply pulled out the sports festival registration form from her own file bag.
“I wasn’t even planning to get started yet, but you two took the initiative—saved me the trouble of asking. Perfect.”
Saying that, Sakura-sensei guided the two of them in filling out the form.
Thus, for the “Borrowed Item Relay” event, through Sakura-sensei’s channel, Xiao Chun Miura and Kanzaki Sou smoothly submitted their registration as the “Library Committee recommended pair” to the Athletics Committee.
Xiao Chun Miura thus confirmed she would participate in the committee category’s “Borrowed Item Relay” fun event with Kanzaki Sou.
After that, the two left the library, chatted briefly at the entrance, politely said their goodbyes, and went their separate ways back to their own classes.
There was nothing more to do here.
Watching Kanzaki Sou disappear behind the trees on the playground, Xiao Chun Miura let out a sigh, feeling as if she’d put down a heavy burden, and walked lightly toward her own classroom.
Next, she had to prepare for the competition.
Patting her face to cheer herself on, the girl stepped firmly forward toward the next checkpoint.
Of course, with the registration here completed smoothly, there wouldn’t be any issues with registration within Class 1 either.
Kanzaki Sou’s name also appeared alongside Kondo Haruka’s on the registration list for the “Borrowed Item Relay”.
And at this moment, Kondo Haruka, who still didn’t know that her childhood friend had formed another team for a different “Borrowed Item Relay” event elsewhere, was purely delighted.
She just felt she had beaten Xiao Chun Miura—because she had become Kanzaki Sou’s partner for the Borrowed Item Relay in place of the other girl.
This was a direct victory, a complete win.
This feeling only grew stronger after submitting the registration information, burning with even more intensity and filling her with the sense of accomplishment.
It made her feel light and happy.