“Is there some reason we have to do a hundred-meter sprint?” I grumbled as I pushed the rattling line marker, drawing a white streak across the starting position. “Stop whining,” said Fushimi. “Class reps are just glorified gofers.” “You knew that when you volunteered.” She giggled. Our classmates were on break while we helped with preparations for the day’s PE class. Fushimi handed me one end of a tape measure and trotted away. “About here!” she called out. Evidently, she’d reached the hundred-meter mark. I gave her the “okay” sign and moved the line marker up to her. None of this was a big deal for Fushimi. She was a good swimmer, a fast runner, and skilled at ball sports, to boot. Her gym uniform exposed her thin limbs, so pale it seemed the summer hadn’t even touched her. She had her long hair tied up in a ponytail, ready for the one-hundred-meter sprint. Eventually, our classmates swarmed onto the field. “What’re we doing today, Director?” “The one-hundred-meter sprint. We’ll be recording everyone’s times.” “Oof… Really?” Due to my directing the film for the school festival, my nickname had changed from Prez to Director. “Director, can’t you tell the teacher we wanna play soccer instead?” “Tell ’em yourself.” “Ugh, you’re so cold.” Another guy laughed out loud at my curt response. I had to do odd jobs as class rep, but I wasn’t all that compassionate toward my classmates, and I certainly wasn’t a pushover. I noticed a guy approaching take a quick glance at Fushimi. It was Deguchi, and his first words as he came out of the changing rooms onto the field were, “Fushimi’s got her hair up.” “For better or worse, she takes these things very seriously,” I said. “Haaah.” He sighed. “Well, I’m just glad I get to see the back of her neck.” At least the guy was clear about what he was after. “She’s faster than most guys, just so you know,” I said. “I wanna watch over her from the goal.” His grin let me know that his mind was in the gutter. Then his gaze moved to Himeji. “So we’re running? I guess I don’t really mind,” she said, chatting with another girl on her way over. Apparently, she’d overheard the day’s plans. She looked great in her gym clothes, so much so that I had to wonder if she was really wearing the same thing as everyone else. She looked more like a cosplayer than like a student wearing her school’s uniform. “She’s huge,” Deguchi muttered. This guy sure doesn’t keep his thoughts to himself, huh…? Deguchi’s lack of shame was something else. I had to agree with him, though. Himeji’s curviness was a stark contrast to the lean Fushimi. And her chest was only accentuated further by the way she lethargically crossed her arms. “Takayan, it’s over,” he said. “I won’t be able to take it.” “What?” “A hundred-meter sprint? Those things are gonna be bouncing all over the place.” “Please stop talking.” “None of the guys will be able to stand up after watching that.” “I said shut up.” I remembered Himeji being good at sports back in grade school. Her job involved dancing and singing, too, so her heart and lungs had to be in great shape. “She’s been practicing for something lately, right?” Deguchi asked. “Yeah, I guess,” I said noncommittally. In fact, I knew all about it. Himeji had been chosen for the part and started rehearsing during summer break, causing some delays in our filming schedule. She had explained the situation to everyone and apologized. That was probably why she was drawing even more attention than Fushimi, now that school was back in session. Various rumors were making the rounds: “Did you hear the transfer student is an actress?” “I guess the stories about her being a former idol were true.” “There’s just something about her. She’s a real star,” Deguchi said, casually praising her. I agreed. Looking at her through the lens of the camera really brought that home. There was something powerful about her, visually, about her character, even when she wasn’t doing anything special—she was eye-catching the same way Fushimi was. “Where’s Torigoe?” I muttered, looking around. As it turned out, she was already changed and on the field. I just hadn’t seen her. She was the only one wearing her tracksuit jacket; just one glance told you she didn’t intend to participate. It was very like her. The teacher arrived, and everyone lined up. After attendance was taken, there was an explanation of the day’s activities. We were to pair up and measure each other’s time for the one-hundred-meter sprint. P-pairs… This was the biggest reason I didn’t like PE: We always had to pair up. “Takayan.” Deguchi grinned. “…Oh well.” “Don’t sound so disappointed, mon ami.” “Cut that out. It’s embarrassing.” “Oh, come on, you know you like it when I call you my friend!” He jabbed my side with his elbow. It wasn’t that I liked it; I was just relieved. First, we had to do a lap around the field to warm up. “I can’t remember, are you a fast runner?” Deguchi asked as he plodded along. We’d had physical fitness tests back in April, but there hadn’t been a one-hundred-meter sprint. “I’m average. I played soccer in middle school, so I shouldn’t be too bad.” Soccer… Why did I suddenly feel like I’d lost a competition? For better or worse, PE class always exposed unexpected sides of a person. In my case, it was always for the worse, so I really didn’t like it. Whenever we played sports, the guys in the corresponding club always dominated, and it was super obvious they were trying to get attention from the girls. I was terrible at all of them, though. No attention for me. When it came to track and field, like what we were doing now, we were all timed. That created explicit rankings, letting you know who was above and below you. Just thinking about it depressed me. “Shii,” said Fushimi to Torigoe, “you should take off the jacket.” “I’m fine like this.” “It causes too much wind resistance, and it’ll make your times worse.” “Unlike you, I don’t really care about getting my best time.” “Huh? Really?” Fushimi cocked her head to the side. I’m pretty sure you’re the only one who cares, Fushimi. Torigoe fidgeted and glanced at me. The moment our eyes met, I remembered what she’d said on our first day back—“Doesn’t that mean that…you…like me?”—and looked away in a panic. With each step Torigoe took, her black hair swayed softly against her back. I caught a glimpse of her profile. As she talked to Fushimi, her eyes softened and her lips drew into a smile. “Torigoe’s got the goods, too, but that jacket… Wonder if she’ll take it off,” Deguchi whispered. I better tell her not to take it off even if she gets bad times. Watching from behind, you could get a good idea of class dynamics. After Torigoe and Fushimi finished talking, another girl came up to Fushimi, and they began chatting. Then a few guys joined in. There were more girls around Himeji; she’d been in school for only a short time, but she was already making herself an army. Perhaps the way she refused to yield to or cozy up to anyone appealed to the other girls. Those same traits, however, made her hard to approach for the boys. Still, she was quite popular with guys from other classes who weren’t aware of it. “The guys were divided into Team Fushimi and Team Himejima for a while, but it seems that’s over,” said Deguchi, sounding like a real expert. As for Torigoe, once more people had gathered around Fushimi, she moved over to one corner by herself. Her aura of Don’t speak to me was much stronger than Himeji’s, making her even harder to approach. Her expression was so hostile, you could almost see the menacing sound effects behind her like some powerful villain in a manga. She could have way more friends than I did if she only put on a softer expression. Just then, an especially popular, good-looking guy walked up and started talking to her. I had no idea what he was saying, but Torigoe’s expression remained stiff as she did nothing but nod or shake her head. I figured she was nervous. Once the guy moved away, I saw her heave a dramatic sigh of relief. “Torigoe, how fast are you?” I asked from behind. She could tell it was me; she kept her eyes ahead while answering. “What do you think? Think I’m fast?” “No.” “Then don’t ask.” She shot me a sidelong glance and smiled. “See, you’re cute when you make that face.” Suddenly, she burst into a coughing fit. “Are you okay?” I asked. “It’s your fault…for saying stuff like that…” She was teary-eyed, perhaps due to the coughing. She was also oddly flushed. “I—I don’t have any desire to be a people pleaser like Hiina… I just…want to talk to the people I like, and that’s it.” It seems that includes me. She slapped my shoulder. “What the—?” “Couldn’t resist,” she said. It’s not like it hurt, but I’d rather not be hit for no reason. After we finished the lap, we did some simple stretches before finally starting the hundred-meter sprint. We had to make three attempts and record our best time. Did we really need to do three? It was obvious the first one would be the best for those who didn’t exercise regularly. They’d be out of stamina by the second and third. My buddy Deguchi waited by the goal, stopwatch in hand. Five people lined up by order of their student numbers, and a whistle signaled the start of the race. I was in the second group. As I got ready, I saw Fushimi waving at me from near the goal. I raised my hand in response. But was the gesture really meant for me? “Fushimi’s waving at me…,” said one boy. “She’s waving at me, not you.” “You guys can argue all you want, but she’s actually waving at me behind you.” “I’m gonna hug her the second I reach the goal.” “The lady is clearly cheering on this humble swordsman.” Is that a samurai among our classmates? “Can you even run, Ryou?” Himeji asked as I waited for my turn. “What? Of course I can run.” Could I run fast? Now, that was an entirely different question. “Let’s see who can run faster, then. It’ll make things fun. Whoever wins treats the other to a pudding from the cafeteria.” A pudding from the cafeteria… The pudding at our school wasn’t some prepackaged item. They actually made it by hand, and it was pretty delicious. I vaguely recalled being about evenly matched with Himeji back in elementary school. “All right,” I said. “Let’s do it.” “I hope you don’t regret this, Ryou.” She was far more confident than I’d imagined. As soon as I said yes, I started regretting my decision. Hadn’t Mr. Matsuda said she needed stamina for the play or something…? We moved up to the starting line, and the teacher yelled, “Ready!” then blew the whistle. How long had it been since I’d last run with all my might? Familiar scenery flashed past me. I could hear the wind and my own hard breathing in my ears. The fastest guy was way ahead of me, but I ended up in second place for my round. “Not bad, Takayan.” I panted as Deguchi walked up to me to show me my time. Thirteen seconds and some change. Wow. Pretty good. “Fwyaaah?!” I turned at the sound of Fushimi’s animallike scream and found the girls ganging up on a guy. “What happened?” I asked. Deguchi had seen the whole thing. “When that guy reached the goal, he actually tried to hug Fushimi for real, but the girls stopped him just in time.” “Oh…” You can’t try stuff like that for real. “I’m so sorry!” the joker yelped as the girls kicked him. “Maybe the kicking was what he was really after,” Deguchi mused. That sounded like one messed-up fetish. I couldn’t begin to relate. “But she waved at me!” “Th-that was…that was for Ryou!” Fushimi shouted bashfully before running away. At that, all eyes turned on me. “““Can’t beat childhood friends…””” I had no idea how to react. “Nice one, Ryou, nice one.” One guy grinned at me, mockingly calling me by my first name. “First Prez and now Director, you sure have gotten popular,” Deguchi said heartily. Is that what he calls this? I took over the stopwatch, and Deguchi went to the other side. While I was still calming my breathing, the boys’ first round ended, and the girls’ began. After a few rounds, it was Torigoe’s turn. “You got this, Shii!” Fushimi cheered. It seemed she’d made her way back at some point. Torigoe waved at her to stop, red in the face. “P-please, don’t.” Then the whistle sounded, and Torigoe took off. I hadn’t expected her to be a great runner, but she seemed to be having an even harder time than I’d imagined. She hurled her arms and legs around as she tried to run. The motion was adorable and very unlike her. As a result, no one laughed or mocked her, they all simply looked on, warm smiles on their faces. “The way she runs is so cute,” someone said. “She’s like a different person.” “New feelings are budding within me…” I felt the same. The way you could tell she was giving it her all contrasted sharply with her usual personality. As Torigoe steadied her breathing, Fushimi handed her the stopwatch and walked over to the starting line. As she did, Torigoe approached me. “…You’re laughing,” she said. “Am not.” “Liar.” “Why would I lie about that?” “I guess you wouldn’t.” She sat down. “But the guys laughed at me back in grade school. They said I ran funny.” “I guess it’s not the usual way to do it, but I think it fits you.” “How do you mean?” The whistle sounded, and the next group of girls ran toward us. “I guess that, despite everything, you’re always doing your best.” “…” Torigoe buried her face between her knees and muttered, “It doesn’t feel that way to me… But then, you’re always paying close attention to me, aren’t you?” She smiled at me with her eyes, but for whatever reason, I couldn’t meet her gaze. Is that so? Am I…? The whistle sounded again, and this time, Himeji was at the starting line. She had perfect form, as expected. On top of her impeccable style, the way she ran and the serious look on her face made for a lovely image. “Look at that bounce…” “Stop. The girls are gonna beat you up.” She had a nice body, and I heard a lot of the guys making remarks about it. If we’d been swimming, I bet we would have had a crowd on our hands. “How was your time, Ryou?” Himeji approached with a cool smirk on her face as she steadied her breathing. She was brimming with confidence. “Thirteen point sixty-five.” “Wha?! You cheeky little…!” Wrinkles formed in her shapely brow. I must have been faster. “I’ve got you beat in academics and sprinting, too. Seems your skills don’t match your confidence, Himeji.” “I-it’s not over yet. We have two rounds left.” “Do your worst.” “You’ll regret those words in about ten minutes, I promise!” Himeji was way too easily provoked. She fumed, huffing as she turned her back on me and left. “You get so aggressive around her, Takamori.” “I’ve known her for a long time, so I know how to get her riled up without making her genuinely angry.” For her part, she was always trying to one-up me, so I had to capitalize on every opportunity I got. Incidentally, Fushimi easily achieved the fastest time among the girls. We repeated the process until everyone had sprinted three times. As expected, my best time was my first. I was pooped by the second and did terribly. Still, I ended up winning my bet against Himeji, and she promised to buy me the pudding. “Oh well. It’s not like a one-hundred-yen pudding will make a big dent in my finances,” said the sore loser, acting like a rich girl. Class ended, and everyone dispersed except for Fushimi and me; we had to tidy up. The only upside to being class rep was that people remembered me more easily… I stacked the cones and hoisted them up. Fushimi grabbed the box with all the stopwatches, and we headed to the gym’s storehouse. “Can you carry all that, Ryou?” “It’s heavy, but nothing I can’t handle.” “I just feel bad, since I’ve got the light stuff.” “Wanna switch, then?” “You know I’m counting on you.” “See?” Fushimi giggled. “You’ve got this, Ryou! Hang in there, Ryou! Let’s go, Ryou!” she sang. “Stop singing weird songs.” “I’m cheering you on!” “That’s fine, just don’t sing your cheers.” I sighed. Fushimi laughed. It felt pretty good to have her cheer me on, but the cones weren’t that heavy. We entered the chilly storehouse, and I returned the stack to its place before brushing off my hands. “Good job,” she said. “It’s nothing.” I shrugged. “Oh right. I couldn’t wait, so I asked Shii what she thought about your movie…” “A-and?” Did she say something different behind my back? Torigoe wouldn’t do that… But I don’t really understand women. Maybe there’s another side to her… Fushimi stared at me smugly. “Wh-what? What did she say?” “It might upset you…” So she really did say something different to Fushimi behind my back…? I was already upset. I had the mental fortitude of a soft cracker. “R-really…?” I felt my legs go weak and sat down on an old vaulting box in the corner. The colors were fading from my sight. “Oh, crap! No, no, I didn’t mean that! I’m sorry, I phrased it all wrong.” Fushimi panicked when she saw my reaction. “Shii praised you. She was surprised you could make something like that in such a short time.” “Torigoe’s nice, so maybe she just said that to make me feel better…” “D-did you switch into gloomy mode?!” Fushimi widened her eyes as she walked up to me and sandwiched my face between her hands. “Wh-what’re you doing?” I could feel her warmth through the palms of her hands. She peered into my eyes. “You made the film, and I’m starring in it. There’s no way it could be bad.” She smiled like a sunflower, brimming with confidence. “You and me together are unbeatable.” “Where’s that coming from?” Despite myself, I chuckled at her baseless confidence. “You laughed, that means I win!” “So we’re playing games now, are we?” Fushimi laughed out loud, her shoulders shaking. The storeroom was lit by a single tiny window, which made our little corner feel especially dark. Just then, the door closed with a rattle. ““Huh?”” We exclaimed in unison. Is someone playing a prank? Just as I was about to say something, I heard a clack. “Ryou, was that…?” “They couldn’t have locked us in, right?” I approached the door cautiously and pushed against it with my whole weight. It didn’t budge. W-we’re locked in?! I tried again and again, but it wouldn’t open. “No good…?” asked Fushimi. I turned around and saw tears in her eyes. “Does that mean we’re trapped in here…?” “Looks like it.” “What nooow?! We’re gonna be late for claaass!” “That’s what you’re worried about? Forget about it.” “But we’re class reps!” “Skipping one period is no big deal.” “Aww…” She wasn’t crying yet, but Fushimi’s eyes were like a dam moments before collapse. She was panicking. I had to keep her calm. I remembered her saying she liked getting her back rubbed, so I did just that. “Don’t worry, whoever has PE next will open it for us.” Fushimi sniffled. “Really…?” “Yes. We won’t be trapped here forever.” Good. She’s calming down. I rubbed her back carefully so as to not touch her bra. …? Wait, where is her bra? “I left my phone in my bag, too. Can’t call anyone.” “Uh, yeah,” I replied half-heartedly, more worried about the bra situation. I tried softly touching her back, but I didn’t feel a bra underneath, or anything else, for that matter. D-don’t tell me…she’s not wearing anything? Why was my childhood friend going around braless? “You don’t have yours, either, do you?” she asked. “I don’t bring my phone to PE.” “Right.” If Fushimi was a rabbit, her ears would be drooping right about now. “Oh, maybe we can call out through there and get someone’s attention!” She pointed at the window. It was about seven feet up and fitted with security bars. “Who would we call…?” I drew a mental map of the grounds. The storehouse was in one corner of the field. The sandpit for vaulting was the only thing nearby. We were pretty far from the classroom and clubroom buildings. The only time people came out here was for PE. “No one will hear us way out here,” I said. “I have a plan.” “Yeah?” Even if we shouted in the direction of the window, not much noise would reach outside. Nevertheless, Fushimi cleared her throat and declared, “We’ll just have to combine.” “What?!” She was serious. J-just what kind of sounds is she hoping will be heard out there? “Is that why you’re braless right now?” “Wait, what?! How did you know?!” Fushimi flushed and covered her chest with her arms. “From when I was rubbing your back…” “You pervert! Degenerate horndog!” “The only pervert here is you! What d’you mean we’re gonna combine?!” “Y-you’ve got it all wrong! I meant I’d climb on your shoulders!” Why say it so ambiguously, then? I sighed in relief as Fushimi detailed her plan: She’d climb up on my shoulders, get close to the window, and call for someone. “I guess it’s better than doing nothing.” I agreed to the plan and helped her onto my shoulders. “Whoa! I’m so high up! Ryou, look! I can touch the ceiling!” She slapped it merrily. “Stop playing.” “Oh, sorry. I must be heavy.” “That’s not the issue here…” I held her knees with both arms as her thighs sandwiched my face. She had her shorts rolled up—evidently, they slowed her down. I could only look forward as I steadily walked up to the window. “…Fushimi, please tell me you’re wearing underwear down there, at least…” “O-of course I am!” She slapped my head. “Why take off the top, then?” “I figured I’d be faster if I was lighter.” It’s just PE class. Why on earth would you go that far just to get a better time? I couldn’t say that to her, though. I knew she was always serious about everything. Instead, I replied robotically, “I guess that makes sense.” I glanced up to check how far the window was and saw Fushimi’s straight torso and, above that, her face, expression serious. The thought crossed my mind that I probably wouldn’t be able to see Himeji’s face from this position. Fushimi grabbed the bars. “Someooone! Anyooone! Helllp!” I followed her example and joined in. “Someoooone! Helllp! Fushimi, anyone out there?” “Nope.” Figures… “Worst case scenario, we’re here until someone comes for their club.” “I—I can’t have that.” “You think I can?” I felt my toes crushing something. I glanced down and found what appeared to be a used love glove on the floor. Why?! Wait, I remember Deguchi saying that people sometimes used this place to…“combine.” Was that true? If anyone found out we were locked in here together… I shook my head to drive the fantasies away. “Anyooone!” “Wait, Fushimi, stop!” “Huh? Why?” “We’re in a pinch here.” “Yeah, that’s why I’m doing this.” “No, you gotta stop. Look down.” I tapped the thing on the ground with my shoe. “? …R-Ryou, what’re you doing down there?!” “It’s not mine!” “You’re acting weird today! Weirdly perverted!” Fushimi cried and thrashed about, causing me to lose my balance. “You’re the only pervert here, no-bra!” “I didn’t do it for perverted reasons!” “Stop moving already!” I was about to topple over. “Whoa—!” “Eeek!” I spotted the high jump mat and adjusted our trajectory so we’d fall on top of it. “Fwgyuh?!” “You okay?” I asked. The next moment, the door opened with a clack. “Are you okay, Ryou, Hina?!” “Takamori, Hiina, you okay?!” Himeji and Torigoe appeared in the doorway. Someone came… Thank goodness. As I felt relief wash over me, I saw their expressions change from worry to exasperation. “What are you two doing…?” “What do you mean? We were trying to get out.” I finally let go of Fushimi’s leg. “Takamori’s kissing Hiina’s leg,” said Torigoe. “Am not! Fushimi, c’mon, help me explain.” I looked at her; she had her eyes rolled up. Oh no. ““…”” The other two shared a look before leaving and locking the door behind them. “Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Don’t lock us in again!” “We were stupid for worrying about you!” said Himeji. “Enjoy yourselves in there!” “She was up on my shoulders, calling for help, and I tripped, that’s it!” “Sure, leg-kisser.” “Don’t give me weird nicknames!” After a lengthy explanation across the closed door, they finally opened it, rescuing us. “Hiina, why’re you only wearing your uniform shirt on top…?” “Err, I… Ah-ha-ha…” Fushimi laughed, dodging the question. Torigoe and Himeji glared daggers at me. “It wasn’t more than ten minutes…,” said Himeji. “Animal.” “Bra-stripping monster.”
Chapter 132
22 min read