After watching the game, Mizuki suddenly spoke.
"Oh—"
Arashi turned toward her, slightly confused, and asked.
"What is it? What happened?"
Mizuki then said calmly but with urgency.
"Miyu, Hina, Ayane — let's go. People must have started arriving by now. We still have things to sell."
After that, Mizuki looked at Arashi and said.
"Arashi, we have to leave now. We'll meet later."
Arashi nodded without hesitation.
"Okay."
Once Mizuki and the others left, Arashi walked over to Takumi and Satoru.
He looked at them and asked.
"So… what should we do now?"
Takumi sighed lightly and replied.
"I don't know, man. We still have two more matches left, so we'll start preparing for those."
Satoru nodded in agreement.
Hearing this, Arashi said.
"Alright. You guys focus on your preparation. I'll figure out what I should do."
Takumi and Satoru agreed and walked away, heading off to prepare for their upcoming matches.
After that, Arashi was left alone.
He stood there quietly, his thoughts slowly taking over.
He began thinking about what he should do next, what direction to take now that everyone else was busy.
After a moment, he spoke to himself softly.
"Alright… I'll go back to the hall and prepare there."
But then he paused, thinking further.
"Still… I don't really know anyone there," he said to himself.
"So maybe I should go back to the classroom instead. I can help Mizuki and the others if they need any help."
Talking to himself like this, Arashi made his decision, his mind finally settling as he started moving forward.
As Arashi started walking toward the classroom, he suddenly noticed someone familiar along the way.
At first, he slowed down slightly and looked more carefully.
And then he recognized him.
It was Ren.
Arashi's eyes widened just a little. Without thinking twice, he ran toward him and came up from behind, lightly hitting Ren on the head.
Startled, Ren immediately turned around, and the moment he saw Arashi, he said in surprise,
"Oh— Arashi, you?!"
Arashi looked straight at him and said,
"Yeah, me. And what are you doing here? Tell me. Are you peeking into our classroom?"
Then he added, narrowing his eyes slightly,
"And this isn't even your school. Why did you come all the way here? And how did you even enter this place?"
Hearing all of this at once, Ren frowned slightly and replied,
"Hey, one question at a time."
He then glanced around quickly and said in a low voice,
"Let's go somewhere else. Someone might see us here. Come on, hurry."
Without waiting, Ren grabbed Arashi's arm and pulled him along, leading him toward a corner where there were very few students around.
After reaching the quiet corner, Arashi finally spoke.
"Alright, now tell me. What are you doing here?"
Before answering, Ren carefully peeked out from the corner, checking if anyone was nearby.
He then took a deep breath, clasped his hands together, and looked straight at Arashi.
"Arashi… please," he said quietly, almost pleading.
"Don't tell anyone that I'm here. Please, man."
Arashi raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Oh, okay. But still — why did you come here?"
Ren hesitated for a moment, then replied,
"Just… wait a bit. I'll tell you everything later. Not too much right now, or the fun will be spoiled."
He leaned in slightly and added.
"I'll just tell you a little. Listen."
Ren then took out his phone and said,
"Do you remember when I confessed to Ayane?"
Arashi nodded.
"Yeah. So what happened?"
Ren continued.
"So a few days ago, I called her and asked for her answer. She told me that first, I need to prove what I can do for her. After that, she'll give me her answer."
He paused briefly, then said.
"So today… I came here to tell her exactly what I can do."
Arashi looked at him and asked seriously.
"So… have you prepared for it?"
Ren smiled faintly.
"Just wait. By the end, you'll understand everything."
Then, almost immediately, he added.
"Please, just wait."
Arashi sighed lightly.
"Alright, alright. But does your family know? Your mother — does she know?"
Ren nodded.
"Yeah. I just told her I'm out with friends. So please…"
Arashi gave a small nod in response.
"Okay. I'm heading out then. Do whatever you need to do."
As he turned to leave, he added,
"I'm going to help the others now."
After that, Arashi entered the classroom. The room was lively — students moving around, voices overlapping, the sound of things being arranged and sold. It felt busy, but organized.
Arashi walked over to Mizuki and asked calmly,
"Should I help with anything?"
Mizuki looked up at him briefly and shook her head.
"No, it's fine. Everything is going perfectly. You should go and focus on your preparation. We'll handle everything here."
Arashi hesitated for a moment, scanning the room. Everything did seem under control.
"Alright," he said. "I'll stay nearby. If you need anything, just tell me."
Mizuki nodded, already turning back to what she was doing.
Arashi stepped aside and stood quietly in one corner of the classroom, leaning slightly against the wall. From there, he observed everything. People came and went. Some laughed, some argued over small things, some just passed by without noticing him.
Watching all of this, Arashi felt strangely detached.
Everyone around him had a clear role — Mizuki managing things, others helping, Ren chasing his own resolve, Takumi and Satoru preparing for matches.
And him?
He clenched his fist slightly.
"I can't just stand still," he thought. "Not now."
His eyes drifted toward the doorway, beyond the classroom — toward the main hall, where the real pressure was building. That place was loud, intense, filled with competition and expectations.
This corner felt safe.
Too safe.
After a few minutes, Arashi pushed himself off the wall. He took one last look at the classroom to make sure everything was fine. Mizuki was busy, but calm. There was no need for him here anymore.
With a quiet breath, Arashi turned around.
"Time to move," he muttered to himself.
Straightening his posture, he walked out of the classroom, his steps steady and focused, heading toward the main hall, where everything that mattered was waiting.