<h4>Chapter 119: June 14th (Monday) — Ayase Saki</h4>


    The morning was serene, as if the stormst night had been nothing but a dream.


    The familiar morning sun filled the living room, and as always, the rice tasted delicious. Today''s miso soup was instant, but still good.


    During breakfast, my eyes met Asamura-kun''s several times.


    Remembering yesterday, my cheeks rxed into a smile. He''d held me when I was frightened by the thunderstorm.


    Thanks to him, I slept like a babyst night. It''s been a long time since I felt safe enough to sleep on a stormy night.


    I threw on my uniform, fixed my hair, and was preparing to leave when Mom and my Stepdad woke up. Apparently, they hade home just before dawn, both of them still looking sleepy.


    My Stepdad was worried when he learned about the ckout, but we told him everything was fine.


    Mom called out to me just as I was about to leave the t, so I told Asamura-kun to go on ahead.


    "Saki, were you alright?"


    Huh? I was fine. It was just a ckout, and the appliances weren''t damaged.


    "But Saki, you were afraid of lightning, weren''t you?"


    Oh, that. Right, Mom knows.


    "I was fine. Yuuta-niisan was there with me."


    "Yuuta-kun?"


    "The power went out while we were both in the living room. Heforted me until I calmed down."


    I chose not to mention that we were hugging.


    "That''s good. Yuuta-kun is so kind," my mother said with a pleased smile.


    After another warm send-off from her, I left the t and hurried after Asamura-kun.


    Walking side by side still feels new. I haven''t asked why Asamura-kun started walking to school instead of riding his bike, but I sense he''s trying to change the distance between us when we''re outside. I need to get used to it too.


    We walked while talking about random stuff, like the smell of the city after the rain, and practicing for the uing sports festival.


    When we stopped at a red light, Asamura-kun gazed across the intersection with a distant look in his eyes.


    I wonder what''s on his mind... Ah, I remember. This was where, about a year ago, I was almost hit by a car, and Asamura-kun pulled me to safety.


    In hindsight, it felt like both a rational and frantic act. Life had changed with my mother''s remarriage and getting a new stepbrother, and my mindset needed to change along with it. Though nothing bad had happened, I realized I shouldn''t worry others unnecessarily. Especially not Asamura-kun.


    After that, we continued to walk together. We passed through the school gate and headed towards the school building. We walked side by side the whole time—up the hill leading to the building, through the corridors, and up the stairs. Even though he was just next to me, I still felt the need to keep this distance.


    When we entered the ssroom, Asamura-kun and I exchanged silent "see youter" nces and headed to our seats. As I put my bag down and was preparing for the first ss, I sensed someoneing over to me. I looked up to see ss Rep standing there. I thought her under-rim sses really suited her today.


    "Good morning, Ayase-san!"


    Her greeting was unusually cheerful. Though she''s always jovial, today she looked like she was practically bursting at the seams with excitement.


    Satou Ryouko-san, aka Ryo-chin, peeked out from behind her. She scrunched up her eyebrows as if she wanted to say something. ss Rep sits next to me, so her being there wasn''t out of the ordinary, but why was Satou-san with her?


    "Good morning, ss Rep, Satou-san."


    Both of them seemed a bit off. What can it be? Before I could puzzle it out, ss Rep patted my shoulder.


    "Seriously, Ayase-san, you can''t be underestimated, can you?


    "Huh?"


    ss Rep looked at me curiously, while Satou-san seemed a bit worried.


    "Don''t y dumb. I saw you two. Are you and Asamura-kun... you know, like that?"


    My heart skipped a beat.


    She''s asking if we''re in a romantic rtionship, right? Even I can tell that much.


    But wait. If just entering the ssroom together makes people suspect we''re dating, wouldn''t that mean everyone walking side by side is in a romantic rtionship? Well, in our case, it''s not a coincidence andpletely true, but still.


    "What do you mean by ''like that''? How did it look to you?"


    I responded to her question with another question. ss Rep put a hand on her chin and let out a, "Hmm."


    Huh, what''s with that reaction?


    "Ryou-chan, apparently she hasn''t noticed."


    Satou-san nodded along.


    "What?"


    "I mean, not only did you just respond to my question with another question, but you usually hate being asked this kind of question, right, Ayase-san? But you didn''t seem annoyed just now."


    When she put it like that, I was surprised at myself.


    ss Rep whispered, "The thing is, the fact you''re even entertaining this kinda conversation means…"


    Her eyes narrowed into a pleased arch and Satou-san nodded along again.


    "But... is it really okay, Ayase-san?"


    "Huh?"


    "Um... weren''t you trying not to talk to Asamura-san?"


    What? Oh, right. Satou-san, Maaya, and I shared a room for the entire school trip. During the rendezvous with Asamura-kun at the Pwan beach, Maaya made sure we could be alone. I think maybe Satou-san was there.


    "It''s not like that... we''re just close."


    "Whoa! What''s that mean? How far have you two gone?"


    How far!? Um, she''s asking about our rtionship in a romantic sense, isn''t she? There''s no way I can talk about that. Nothing like that has happened anyway… Well, I mean, we did hug in the dark a couple of times. And we kissed during Halloween, on a suspension bridge, and, oh, I did barge into his room when I was feeling Asamura Yuuta-deprived a few times… Andtely, we''ve been going out together.


    Huh? That''s quite a lot, isn''t it?


    "I''ll... leave it to your imagination."


    I tried to keep my voice carefree, as if to say it''s ''no big deal,'' and y it off as a joke.


    "Hoho. You''re leaving it to my imagination, huh," ss Rep hummed thoughtfully, raising her pointer finger.


    "My wild imagination is running free! You two have been dating for about half a year, if I had to guess! You''ve already met each other''s parents, maybe even had sleepover dates, and you two have promised to get married after uni—"


    "Whoa, whoa! Stop that imagination right there, ss Rep!"


    Satou-san put a finger to her lips, making a shushing sound, and thankfully derailed ss Rep''s imagination train. Some of what she said hit a bit too close to home, making me anxious.


    We met each other''s parents literally when we first met, and when we visited Asamura-kun''s family home, we did sleepover and took a walk together.


    But promising to marry? Come on, would high schoolers who''ve been dating for only half a year do that? We''re just high school students.


    "Well, anyways," ss Rep said, narrowing her eyes behind her under-rimmed sses and shing me a smirk. "I''m happy I can have this kinda conversation with you, Ayase-san."


    That''s not fair. How can I refuse when you put it like that?


    But being told this to my face is much better than hearing whispers behind my back, I guess.


    "C''mon, ss Rep. You really should wait for Ayase-san to bring this kinda stuff up herself."


    Satou-san came to my rescue.


    Mhm, that''s right.


    "Whaaat, but—"


    "After making us wait, hehe, won''t it be more fun when she finally tells us?"


    No! That isn''t support! That''s more like a hunter lying in wait to ambush me!


    ss Rep puffed out her cheeks to show her dissatisfaction.


    "But like, what if we never get around to talking about our love lives and then, boom, life''s over? What then?"


    "Then we''ll reminisce about it at our pity party."


    By the time I tuned back in, the conversation had drifted to something entirely different.


    "I see, I see. That sounds nice. Sitting on the porch, a cat on yourp, sipping bitter tea, reminiscing about how we never thought we''d be single at this age, eh? We can chat about it and have a goodugh."


    "That does sound fun, doesn''t it? Right, Ayase-san?"


    Hold on. Why are they assuming I''m attending this pity party?


    ***


    Our afternoon PE ss was set aside for practicing for the sports festival.


    During the break, ss Rep, who was sitting cross-legged in front of me, adjusted the bridge of her sports sses, and turned to me and Satou-san. We were all on the same team.


    "By the way, you two. I''ve gotta say, watching the sports festival and seeing everyone give it their all is really fun for me."


    "Huh... huh?"


    What''s this girl on about? The topic came out of nowhere, and what does she mean by "seeing everyone give it their all?"


    "What''s with that t soda reaction?! Boys and girls going all out chasing the ball, dripping with the shiny sweat of their youth. Makes them look a hundred times cooler, dontcha think?!"


    So, she thinks everyone ying sports looks cool. That''s just like our ss Rep.


    But if it''s increased by a hundred times, wouldn''t that make them apletely different person?


    "Don''t you think your heart would race after seeing a different side of your boyfriend or girlfriend?"


    "Is it really different, though? I feel like you could tell if you watch them practice..."


    Because the sports festival is an extension of the practice. Essentially, it''s the consistent effort in everyday practice that makes someone shine, not just the festival itself.


    As that thought ran through my head, I nced at the boys.


    I caught a glimpse of Asamura-kun working hard out of the corner of my eye. Didn''t he say he wasn''t that good at basketball? He also mentioned not wanting to hold anyone back. But seeing him in action now, he looks like he''s holding his own, despite the short time he''s had to practice.


    "Oh? So not only do you want to watch during the festival, but also practice too, Ayase-san? Quite the enthusiast, aren''t you?"


    "I-I didn''t say that—"


    Wait, calm down, Saki. This is a clever trap.


    "Maybe, yeah," I said with a soft smile.


    Keep it up.


    "Oh, such a confident smile."


    Good. Now, they won''tbel me as some sort of Asamura Yuuta stalker. Just when I figured we''d moved on, Satou-san circled back to the earlier topic with a slow reply.


    "But, y''know, it can be a starting point I think. It makes you realize there''s another side to someone beyond what you usually see. I mean, until we hung out together on the school trip, I thought you were way more intimidating, Ayase-san."


    It felt like I''d been hit where it hurts. ss Rep nodded along.


    "Yeah, I get you. Until we became desk neighbors, I had no idea she was this fun."


    Fun…?


    "So, by seeing a different side to someone, you might change your opinion of them. Being impressed by someone during the sports festival is also a possibility."


    I cleared my throat with a small cough and reluctantly joined in the conversation.


    "Well, if it''s about picturing how hard someone works based on how they do, I get that."


    "So it''s about seeing someone in a new light ''cause of a certain trigger, huh? Well okay, so among them—" ss Rep pointed to the boys. "I''d probably say Kodama, personally. I used to think he was just annoyingly hyper, but he''s surprisingly good. He must have yed basketball before. I think he''ll shine tomorrow. And then, of course, there''s Yoshida, who seems to be good at any sport."


    "He''s been making some nice shots for a while, hasn''t he?"


    "You''ve been watching, huh?" ss Rep teased Satou-san, whose cheeks immediately turned red.


    "I just happened to see."


    "The one who''s wasting his potential is Asamura-kun."


    My heart raced at the mention of his name.


    "Wasting his potential...?"


    "He seems pretty skilled, and I think he has a thoughtful personality. He always pays close attention to his teammates'' movements, so he sends the pass to the right spot. But he passes even when he could have taken the shot himself. He''s like the unsung hero. But, I feel he could step it up a bit."


    "He''s humble, isn''t he?"


    "Maybe he''s just timid. But then again, maybe you, Ayase-san, don''t want him to stand out too much. But as the ss representative, I do wish he''d y a bit more aggressively for the sake of our ss''s victory."


    Step up, huh.


    The teacher blew the whistle. Break time was over.


    ***


    "It looked like you were trying hard."


    At dinner, I remembered what ss Rep said and brought up the topic of basketball.


    I mentioned that some ssmates were praising him, but Asamura-kun just kept being modest.


    Sure, he might not be as skilled as those who y in the actual basketball club, but from the sidelines, people still said he seemed capable of doing more.


    I wonder if he can''t see it himself, I thought, tilting my head.


    I wanted to continue the conversation a little longer, but Asamura-kun clearly wanted to move on.


    "Besides, you were working hard too, weren''t you? It looked like you were having a serious discussion."


    I tilted my head in confusion.


    Was he referring to today''s PE ss? Were we discussing something?


    Then it hit me—he must have seen me talking with ss Rep and Satou-san. There''s no way I could tell him I was watching the boys practice, sizing up who would shine tomorrow.


    We were really just joking around and getting a bit carried away, but he must''ve thought we were taking the sports festival seriously.


    "Oh... yeah. Well, a bit."


    I felt awkward and embarrassed, so I ended up giving a vague response.


    After all, how could I admit that I was daydreaming about Asamura-kun''s prowess on the court?