Early morning. On the way to Shuchiin Academy.
A not-so-steep slope stretched just before the entrance. Sakurai General Affairs rode his bicycle, and out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Kaguya Shinomiya climbing the slope wearily under the emerald green roadside trees. A few glistening beads of sweat dotted her forehead.
The temperature today was not low. It was late June, and the mercury had already exceeded thirty degrees Celsius. It felt very much like summer. Speaking of summer, it was nothing more than a few words—high temperatures, cicada chirps, sweat, watermelon…
Doesn't saying it like that just conjure up the taste of summer?
—
"Kaguya-san, are you alright?" Sakurai Saki's tone was genuinely surprised. He stopped his bike as he spoke.
"I should be asking—are you… hah… sick?" Kaguya-san gasped.
Just as Sakurai Saki thought she was going to pretend to be strong—
"Do I look like I'm alright?"
She walked over to Sakurai, casually placing the school bag in her hand onto his bicycle. "Sakurai General Affairs, take this for me."
After speaking, Kaguya-san stood in place, panting heavily while holding her knees.
From the Shinomiya estate to school, under the blazing sun—it really was this exhausting! The last time she had walked to school with Hayasaka Ai, it had been cloudy, and the temperature hadn't been this extreme.
"Kaguya-san, is there a possibility that today is the Sports Festival and we don't have classes?" Sakurai held her bag but didn't immediately discard it.
"There are coffee beans inside. I promised them to you yesterday." Kaguya Shinomiya never broke a promise. Keeping one's word was a fine quality of the Shinomiya family. Honesty was also one of her own virtues.
"Suddenly, I feel that helping a classmate carry their school bag isn't so bad after all." Sakurai Saki smiled.
"You just want the coffee beans." Kaguya Shinomiya said testily. "If you're going to lie, please find a better excuse."
"Kaguya-san is so beautiful. No matter which student it was, they wouldn't refuse you."
…This was a lie. The Shinomiya family's coffee beans were specially supplied and of excellent quality—something Sakurai Saki rarely had. Mainly, Kaguya preferred black tea and usually drank more tea than coffee in the Student Council Room. He was helping for the coffee.
"Praise me one more time." Kaguya Shinomiya rested for a moment, then resumed her proud demeanor, tilting her head slightly with a faint smile. "Such a simple thing—any other boy could do it."
As her words fell—
"Sakura-chan yoro Good morning!"
A golden flash of lightning—with an energetic voice—rapidly burst in from behind the two. Hayasaka Ai, like a cannonball, charged straight toward Sakurai Saki. With powerful momentum, she flung herself into his embrace the moment he turned around.
Sakurai Saki had to hug her and spin around once before regaining his balance.
Kaguya Shinomiya glanced at the teetering bicycle and casually helped him steady it. Then she was force-fed a mouthful of public display of affection—
"Good morning~" Sakurai said softly.
"It's been a day. Have you missed me?" Hayasaka Ai released him, her eyes seeing no other scenery—only him.
"Didn't we spend all day together yesterday~ You're too clingy. But that's also very cute."
"I love you, so I don't want to be apart for a moment…"
Kaguya Shinomiya: "…"
That's enough. These two are so affectionate it makes me a little sick. And I'm still here, aren't I? Am I invisible to them?
Maybe I should just let them break up.
Forget it. I'll walk myself. Kaguya decided not to bother with this idiotic couple. She propped the bicycle in place, picked up the school bag containing the coffee beans, and left alone.
The Sports Festival's opening ceremony was held in the gymnasium.
Everyone had recently changed their uniforms from winter to summer. Girls wore white short-sleeved undershirts with black sleeveless dresses over them, a white sailor collar at the neck, tied with a red necktie. Males… well, no one wanted to hear about that.
Students sat in rows in the gymnasium. Sakurai Saki looked forward.
The speaker on stage was Principal Adolf Pescarolo, who didn't appear old and looked very spirited. Sakurai Saki didn't have much contact with him, except for when he had taken on tutoring jobs. Other than that, there was nothing. This principal would sometimes visit the Student Council Room and even bring solace—comfort items. What surprised Sakurai Saki the most was that this old principal would play Pokémon Go at school, that AR pet-catching game. It just showed he was still young at heart.
His granddaughter was the head of the Game Club—Fujiwara Chika's club—a third-year senior, but it was said she had no real authority there.
"Today, June 22nd, all of us Shuchiin Academy students and teachers, with joyful hearts and full spirits, welcome the 63rd Sports Festival…"
Full of joy…
Sakurai Saki, however, felt no joy. He was like a wooden man at this moment, without sorrow or happiness, as if he had lived a decade of monastic life. Sakurai looked at the very small speech manuscript in the principal's hand, yet he didn't relax for a moment. He knew that the rambling of school leaders was directly proportional to their official rank.
What was this? This was a display of power.
But it didn't last long. The time for each event today was set in stone. Starting at 9:30 AM, each grade would perform a program. First to third grades would go in order, and then the 100-meter dash would start at 10:30 AM.
As for why Sakurai Saki was so melancholy—it was actually related to his mother.
—
At 9:45 AM, the second-year students began their performance.
The content was—the Soran Bushi.
Such a simple dance posed no difficulty for Sakurai Saki. He was very confident in his physical coordination.
But—
"Honey!! You're dancing so cutely!!" Ms. Jinguji cupped her hands like a megaphone and cheered.
Parents sat in the viewing stands under the canopy. President Shirogane's father was also there, wearing sunglasses, admiring his son's dance moves.
Sakurai General Affairs almost twisted his ankle when he heard his mother's shout.
This was why he didn't want to live with his mother. This was why he hadn't attended school in Kyoto back then. His mother felt no shame about such things.
There's still hope.
Sakurai Saki observed everyone's gazes. Aside from the usual admiring stares from female students, there were no others. After all, the term "honey" was generally used for a daughter, wasn't it? Although Sakurai Saki's name could be used for both genders, he was indeed a boy. Most people wouldn't think Jinguji Tamaki was calling him.
Next to Sakurai Saki was Shirogane Miyuki, whose dancing was excellent. He had completely mastered the Soran Bushi!
"Rokukaishō!! Rokukaishō! Soran Soran~" Shirogane Miyuki sang along loudly.
Today, he was invincible!
"Alright!… Miyuki~" From the viewing stands, Shirogane Miyuki's father—holding a coffee can and crossing his legs—gave him a calm word of encouragement.
Shirogane Miyuki turned to stone.
Public humiliation happened in an instant.