The GW and the Part-time Job and the Ojou-sama (5)
One way or the other, the result was that we fell at the preliminaries for the basketball match.
Izumino Gakuen Basketball Club was actually in the best 16 level of the prefecture so the reason we lost was because I dragged them down.
Of course, it wasnât that everyone who participated in this match were part of their starting lineup. However, Soutarou was the Basketball Clubâs starter and Kaname was omnipotent at sports. There were 2 first-year bench players but even they were skillful.
No matter how I think about it, the reason for our defeat was because I sucked at basketball.
âReallyâŠâŠ Iâm sorryâŠâŠâ
âItâs okay, itâs okay. Besides, I was the one who forced you to join. I should be thanking you instead.â
âSoutarouâŠâŠ Iâm sorryâŠâŠâ
A smile that was completely unclouded. As I thought, Soutarou is kind. Itâs precisely because heâs kind that I felt even more apologetic and want to disappear.
It wasnât that I was extremely unathletic. I feel that Iâve gotten more muscular and even my stamina improved ever since becoming male.
I didnât strongly refuse because I thought I could do it if I tried harder. Perhaps I was being conceited, but I wanted to be of help to them.
Itâs because I had been thinking this way that all the more I still feel ashamed to have failed so badly at the game.
âMako-chan, you Travelled[1] a number of times, huh. The way Mako-chanâs face turned red and flustered was incredibly kawaii.â
Travelling, and then getting agitated over that, I ended up Travelling even more.
Just recalling that made me embarrassed and I felt like crying.
âKora, Kana too, wonât Mako be pitiful if you say so much? It canât be helped that Mako is a beginner.â
âI wasnât really making fun of him, you know. Itâs just that itâs rare for Mako-chan who can flawlessly handle anything to make a blunder. âSo even Mako-chan has things heâs not good with, huhâ, was what I was thinking.â
Even I have things Iâm bad at. In fact, just a month ago I was a frail girl.
I donât find insects and snakes repulsiveă»and Iâm also fine with touching frogs. Haunted houses and jet coasters are fine too. Dark places and tall places, those are also completely fine. I donât hate studying and while I donât particularly like athletics, I wasnât bad at them either.
But, ball games alone, to a devastating extent, I canât do them. By the way, I digress, but I also lack the sense for arts and music.
While in theory I understand ball games, arts and music, I canât do it if you ask me to try them all of a sudden.
âIâm really bad at ball gamesâŠâŠ Though, I didnât think it would be this bad.â
It was a match where everyone was earnestly contending. No matter what a light-hearted feel this practice match had, they no doubt had the sentiment of wanting to win.
And I trampled all over that sentiment.
Maybe it couldnât be helped that my shoot didnât make it. However, I should have at least been able to not drag them down.
I feel that the more I think about it, the more I fall into darkness. Letting out a small sigh, I sat while grasping my knees[2].
âIt was Mako who said that itâs not embarrassing to have things youâre bad at.â
Directly before my eyes, Soutarou stooped down and gently stroked my head.
âIâm sorry for teasing you. But, it wasnât that I wanted to make fun of you.â
Kanameâs voice sounded troubled.
Even Iâm the same. Iâm at fault, and even though I didnât have the intention to, I ended up troubling these two with my sulky attitude. I also didnât have the intention to take on an attitude as though I was beaten when Iâm already down.
Much less, I didnât want them to comfort me so leniently.
âIâm sorry. IâŠâŠâ
It canât be helped that I feel down. Itâs because theyâre excessively compassionate. Thinking like that, I raised my head only to have my head hugged by Soutarou with a âgyuutoâ.
And it naturally became that my head was buried into Soutarouâs chest.
âI prohibit you from apologising anymore.â
âAh, just Souta, thatâs unfairăŒ. Me too, me tooăŒ. I want to âgyuâ Mako-chan tooăŒ.â
Usually heâd say that weâre embarrassing or that weâre flirting, but just today Iâm allowed to soak in the tenderness of these two.
âSoutarou, teach me basketball next time. It was, incredibly mortifying to lose.â
âSure thing. Makoâs reflexes arenât bad, I think you can surely become good at it.â
Without any strange intentions, I placed my cheek against Soutarouâs chest. Like a certain time back then, I saw the two beauty spots lined up on his left collarbone.
A soft floral fragrance mingled with the smell of sweat, he had a scent like that of young woods. I suppose, a similar smell was also coming from me.
An antiperspirant-like citrus scent drifted from Kaname who hunched over and hugged Soutarou and I. Although Soutarou also used antiperspirant, the scent was much easier to detect from Kaname.
But somehow it feels embarrassing to have our skin touching while weâre all sweaty.
âMako-chan, thanks for the good work!â
With her pleated skirt fluttering, Mitsuki jogged towards me.
My face turned blue thinking that, this time, some misunderstanding will definitely arise when she sees three guys embracing each other like this.
But the absent-minded and airheaded Mitsuki, without behaving like she was disturbed to see three guys embracing, directly reached my side.
Just as the two who were embracing me let go, with reddened cheeks she grabbed both my hands.
âMako-chan, you were really cool! You were more cool than anyone else. As expected of Mako-chan!â
âMitsukiâŠâŠ thanks.â
âUn! Mako-chan, good work. Do you want to have the bento now? I made the atsuyaki tamago salty for Mako-chan.â
Mitsukiâs honest eyes didnât contain any lies.
Mitsuki wasnât trying to comfort me. She simply expressed her honest thoughts frankly.
I can feel that she truly, from the bottom of her heart, thought my figure when playing basketball was cool.
âIf youâd like, everyone can eat too? I made a lot.â
I think that the sight of Mitsuki carrying the 5-tiered box which reached her face was by far the most kawaii.
âI also want to eat Mitsukiâs bento-nyaăŒ?â
âWah, Narahashi-kaichou-san!â
The one who hugged Mitsuki from behind was Junya.
To think you hugged my kawaii Mitsuki, Iâll definitely not forgive you.
I started standing up while making a stern face, but he quickly separated from her so I ended up in a half-risen posture.
âDidnât you say you wonât hug Mitsuki? I wonât let you eat her cooking!â
ââow mean. If I canât hug Mitsuki-chan, then Iâll hug bunny-chan.â
Immediately after speaking, he clung onto the waist of me who had half-rosen and pressed our cheeks together. Furthermore, he buried his nose in my temple and started sniffing with a âkun kunâ.
I want to know whatâs so fun about sniffing my body that stinks of sweat from the match.
While being watched by Kaname whoâs inappropriately laughing and Mizuki whoâs inclining her head with a blank look, Junya is hugging me and Soutarou is trying to save me, a very surreal situation has taken place.
Good grief, I donât even have the time to feel depressed.
Honestly, though I do think itâs bothersome, surprising I canât deny that a part of me felt very happy.
In spite of myself, I burst out laughing at the change of my state of mind.
âMakoâŠâŠ?â
âLetâs eat Mitsukiâs bento, everyone. Mitsukiâs bento is delicious, you know.â
All the morning matches are ending soon.
Then weâll borrow a space somewhere and enjoy Mitsukiâs bento. Itâll definitely be fun.
âJunya. Youâre supposed to eat my bento. Isnât that right?â
A very feminine and dignified voice. But like a cold and chilly icicle, it directly pierces into oneâs heart.
Itâs like cold water being poured onto the head.
The owner of that voice was undoubtedly the person I was most afraid to meet. I slowly lifted my head.
As I thought, there stood the Ice QueenâŠâŠââYukinoshita Madoka.
âMadoka-chan, is your condition okay already? Werenât you just discharged from the hospital?â
âEven so, thereâs no way I wonât come and cheer my Yasuchika on when he has a match.â
She emphasised the âmyâ portion with a studied tone.
Madoka gave an absolute zero icy glare to Mitsuki.
Mitsuki seemed like she had no idea whatâs going on, and looked at me seeking help. As a onii-chan, thereâs no way I wonât help Mitsuki when she makes such a face.
This time I stood up, blocking Mitsuki like Iâm trying to protect her.
âWhat will you do, Junya?â
âThen, Madoka, letâs eat with bunny-chan and the rest. Call Chika-chan too.â
âDonât mess around, Junya. I want to eat with only Yasuchika and Junya. I donât need anyone else. You are different.â
Then, for the first time, Junya gave a troubled smile.
âThereâs no one here whoâll hurt Madoka-chan.â
It probably wasnât the reply she expected. Madokaâs face distorted, as though she was about to cry, as though she was angry.
If I recall, I heard that Madoka was a 20 year-old 2nd-year at University but she looks much younger than that. Itâs as though her growth stopped in elementary school.
âThatâs enough. Iâll just invite Yasuchika. I donât need Junya anymore.â
âA, Madoka-chan!â
Junya chased after Madoka who left the scene like she was sulking.
But before he left, he lowered his gaze just once towards the ground, looking in our direction. It can be seen that heâs troubled.
âSorry about Madoka-chan. That person, sheâs immature. Prone to sickness, she didnât have many friends. She also doesnât attend school much so she doesnât know how to communicate well. So, I hope that youâll forgive Madoka-chan. Iâm sorry. Let me have Mitsukiâs bento next time, okay?â
Saying up till there, Junya went to chase Madoka.
Madoka was certainly immature. The reason was as Junya said, prone to sickness, she doesnât attend school much and doesnât have many friends. But thereâs no way itâll be good for her to continue using that excuse even into the future, and she canât either. Someday thereâll be a need to fix this.
But if Yasuchika really plans to marry Madoka, does he intend to support her for the rest of her life, to leave things be?
Thinking itâs okay to hate everyone else as long as that special person is kept close by, I feel that itâs an extremely wasteful way to live.