"All right, let's do our best."
The soccer match began.
On the field, Inuzuka Shu started with the kickoff, sending the ball flying in a perfect arc through the air.
Izumi Yuu looked up at the sky on the field, turned his head left and right to check the direction, and had just gone up on his tiptoes.
"Ah!!"
The shoelace on his foot snapped in an unbelievable way, and he fell to the ground.
(No way, did Izumi really get this unlucky right after coming on?)
After the ball landed, it rolled to the feet of an opposing player. Fortunately, Shiraishi appeared out of nowhere and kicked the ball over to a teammate on the other side.
"Izumi-kun, are you okay?"
Shiraishi helped Izumi up and asked with concern.
Izumi Yuu stood up and thanked him. "Thanks, Shiraishi-kun."
...The match continued.
Later, during another pass, Izumi was pushed out of bounds by an opponent. For some reason there just happened to be a rock right there, and he was about to step on it.
(Can't let it get too ridiculous.)
Saiki still moved the rock out of the way.
After Izumi steadied himself, the ball came to his feet. He started to put power into his kick, but the moment his foot was about to connect, a small gust of wind blew the ball just a bit to the right. Izumi's foot missed completely, and he fell to the ground.
(No way.)
"This is really unlucky right from the start."
"I hope Izumi-kun can hold out for the whole match and not end up too badly injured by the end."
Nearby, Shikimori and the others, who hadn't started their volleyball match yet, were also watching from the side.
In the end Izumi stood up, chased after the play, and positioned himself near the goal frame to help the goalkeeper defend. His ankle twisted, nearly causing him to fall again, but he managed to stay on his feet.
But the enemy had already taken a shot, and the ball was flying toward the area behind Izumi.
"Izumi-kun, watch out!"
"Ouch, ouch, go for it?"
[Izumi, look above your head.]
Izumi stood up when he heard someone cheering him on. Hearing Saiki's voice, he turned around, only to see a soccer ball flying straight toward his head.
(If that hits me, it's over.)
Saiki then used telekinesis to control the ball, sending it flying toward the goal frame and off course.
(Yare yare daze, I wasn't supposed to get involved, but if this keeps up the injuries will get serious. I won't step in again for the rest of this match.)
The ball veered toward the goal frame. Saiki thought it was safe, but then it bounced back straight toward Izumi's face. In the end Izumi still passed out.
(For real?)
Inuzuka Shu: "Izumi!"
Shiraishi: "Izumi-kun!"
Everyone gathered around. Saiki stepped forward and hoisted Izumi onto his back.
Kubo Nagisa: "Saiki-kun?"
"Saiki, Izumi he…"
Saiki glanced at the crowd surrounding him. [I'll just take him to the infirmary. The rest of the match is up to you guys.]
[Also, Kubo-san and Shikimori-san, you should head to your match. It's about to start.]
In the end Saiki carried Izumi on his back toward the infirmary. The others stood stunned for a moment before going back to what they were supposed to do.
After a while in the infirmary, Izumi Yuu woke up. He looked at Saiki, stared blankly for a moment, then asked, "Saiki-kun, did I pass out again? How's the match going?"
Saiki picked up a bottle of water and handed it to Izumi. [Don't worry about the match for now. Just drink some water first.]
Izumi Yuu took a sip, then stood up. "I feel like my body's already fine. Thank you, Saiki-kun."
[It's nothing. I just brought you to the infirmary. The teacher isn't even here.]
Earlier Saiki had already used his restoration ability to heal Izumi's body, though the injuries hadn't been that serious to begin with.
But just now, when Saiki looked at Izumi, he noticed other wounds on his body, old scars from the past. He understood what Izumi must have gone through before.
[If you want to go back to the match, then go. You can still make it in time.]
"Thanks, Saiki. I'm heading out now."
Izumi Yuu thanked Saiki and left to return to the match site.
(Yare yare daze, he's still in such a rush. He's going to get hurt again like this.)
Afterward Saiki headed to the volleyball and basketball match venues. By now the basketball game had reached its final moments.
Hachimitsu Yui, whether from giving it her all or not, looked from the outside like she was barely moving, panting heavily as she ran, though her face still held her usual expression.
Then the ball came to Shiina Mahiru. With a spin and a fadeaway, the ball dropped perfectly into the basket.
The whistle blew. The match ended with a score of 31:25 in victory.
[Oh, looks like it wasn't an easy win.]
Saiki glanced at the opposing team, Year 1 Class C, and spotted Tsuchiya Kouta among them.
[No wonder.]
Saiki looked toward Shiina Mahiru, who was still catching her breath. (Playing such an intense sport while still not fully recovered from a cold… is that really okay?)
Kubo and the others also noticed Saiki's arrival.
Shikimori originally wanted to go over and say hi, but when she looked in Saiki's direction, she followed his gaze and noticed Shiina Mahiru.
She was well aware of this girl everyone called the class's "angel," but she hadn't expected Saiki to keep staring at her. Could it be…
Kubo, on the other hand, didn't care about any of that. She walked over, turned Saiki's head back toward her, and locked eyes with him. "Saiki-kun, today's heroine isn't Shiina-san. Even though she's really pretty, you should pay attention to us too, you know."
After Saiki broke free, [Yare yare daze, what are you talking about? I was just watching the basketball game end. I came here to cheer for you guys in the first place.]
Shikimori appeared behind Saiki with a somewhat melancholic look and patted his shoulder. "Saiki-kun, are you close with Shiina-san?"
From the way Saiki had looked at Shiina Mahiru earlier, Shikimori felt like their relationship seemed unusual.
[Not close. I was just looking at Hachimitsu-san earlier.]
"Oh~?"
[By the way, your match is about to start.]
Kubo Nagisa: "That's right. Saiki-kun, you absolutely have to cheer for us later. Otherwise, after you went and looked at another girl just now, we might actually get mad."
[Got it, got it.]
(Geez, I only looked at someone else for a second. Is it really necessary to make a big deal out of it? Whoever ends up as these two's boyfriend in the future is going to have it rough. Total henpecked husband material.)
Hachimitsu Yui walked over, still panting. "Saiki~kun, you~came too."
[Hachimitsu-san, you look pretty exhausted.]
Nekozaki Kyo: "You worked pretty hard, Hachimitsu. From here on out, you and Saiki can cheer us on."
"O~kay."
[So who's your opponent?]
Shikimori pointed toward the other side at a girl with blue hair and starry, captivating eyes. "That's Rokuya from Year 1 Class 7. She's really strong."
Kubo Nagisa pointed to another girl, also with blue hair but with especially lively eyes that seemed to sparkle like something was glowing inside. "That one's Tachibana・Sylphindorf from Year 1 Class C. She looks pretty strong too, though the person herself seems a little strange."
[Yeah, they definitely don't look like ordinary opponents. But under normal circumstances, I still think they won't be able to beat you guys.]