A Story About a Handsome Girl Having Her First Kiss Stolen by an Equally Handsome Classmate - Episode 43

Wednesday, August 10

Finally, practice for each event has begun in preparation for the sports day.

“That’s crazy, that’s three in a row.”

Wakamatsu was speechless.

Each sport is assigned a practice area, and they move between locations every hour, taking breaks in between. Wakamatsu has three individual sports alone, and they have to move to the next practice area without any time to rest.

“Hahaha! Good luck, Wakamatsu!”

“See you after practice, Hanakaede-chan.”

After parting ways with Masuda and Wakumura, Wakamatsu headed for the playground.

Under the scorching sun, we first practiced pulling the stick.

At the signal, you run toward the pole placed in the center, and your first goal is to grab it before your opponent does.

“Pull harder, Wakamatsu!”

“Yes!”

Wakamatsu pulls the pole as hard as he can while being scolded by the team leader, a third-year student.

He gripped the wooden stick so hard that the skin on his palm was pulled and twisted.

The signal was sounded. Next, we practiced horse-riding in the gym.

For horse-riding combat, teams also gather together and practice how to position their bodies.

Although it was somewhat better than outside, the gym was still hot, and I couldn’t stop sweating.

“Try riding a jockey.”

“Y-Yes!”

He climbed up, leaning on a classmate who was stronger than Wakamatsu.

While rearranging the group several times, they considered a fast and agile horseback riding formation. Just as they had a plan in place, the signal to move again sounded.

The young pine trees returned once again to the scorching sun.

The relay runners selected from each block and each grade gathered on the ground. They ran through the entire course once on the first day to get a sense of the overall course.

“…Are we going to run 400 meters now?”

I couldn’t help but look up at the sky.

“Wakamatsu-san, please move over after you finish stretching.”

“Ah, yes!”

The final program of the sports day is the block relay.

400m x 4 relay. Wakamatsu is the second runner.

After receiving the baton, Wakamatsu mustered all his strength and started running.

However, even though I moved my legs as hard as I could, the runner behind me kept passing me. For some reason, my body just wouldn’t move forward the way I wanted it to.

“I was so frustrated about that,” Wakamatsu roared. “I can run even more!”

After struggling through the race, he finally handed the baton over to the third runner. Wakamatsu looked at his teammates in shock, out of breath and in a pitiful state.

“Good job Hanakaede! Let’s get going!”

Before I could even catch my breath after relay practice, I was caught by Wakumura Chisato.

His gaze was directed at Masuda and Ariyoshi, who had already finished their practice for the day.

Without even changing clothes, Wakamatsu was taken out of the school by the three of them in his gym clothes. He was forced onto a train without question and dropped off a few stops later. He was taken to Round One without being able to escape. He played tennis and basketball until his legs shook.

“You’re moving slowly, Wakamatsu!”

“noisy!”

“Hahaha! Do your best, do your best.”

Before I knew it, it was past 8 pm, and after parting ways with the girls and having dinner at home, I fell into a deep sleep as if I was about to pass out.

“Hana Kaede-chan!”

The next day, Wakumura was waiting for me after practice.

I was taken to the city gym with the badminton club members, and for some reason, I played badminton with all my might. It was so hard I thought my arms would come off and I would fly away. In the end, my shoulders hurt so much I couldn’t lift them. That night, I lost consciousness.

“Let’s go, Hanakaede!”

“Hii…”

On Friday, they will be taken away as soon as practice is over.

He took Masuda, Ariyoshi, Yamamoto, and Hasegawa from the next class with him and headed to a family restaurant.

“I’m going to die, I’m going to collapse…”

“Here, eat this too, Wakamatsu!”

While Wakamatsu was already exhausted and about to collapse, the other five, including Wakumura, were having fun. After dinner, they were not allowed to go home and were taken to bowling. After playing a game, they stayed up all night at a nearby karaoke bar.

“Masuda’s songs are still unbearable to listen to.”

“Remember that, Wakamatsu!”

Masuda and the others had been having a blast up until about 3 o’clock, but it seemed they couldn’t resist the onslaught of sleep, and one by one they began to fall asleep. However, if they tried to close their eyes, Wakumura stopped them, and Wakamatsu was the only one who wasn’t allowed to sleep.

“No, Hanakaede-chan.”

“Too Spartan…”

It was past six o’clock, and after drinking copious amounts of cola, my eyelids felt as heavy as lead, and my vision was blurry.

“How is it? Feeling a little better?”

“fart……?”

He looked back at Wakumura with empty eyes.

“a……”

Wakamatsu was shocked. Even though he had been feeling depressed, Mizuhara Shizuku had completely disappeared from his mind for the past few days. He was so shocked that his eyes widened.

“…I forgot, I was like this.”

We continued playing late into the night every day from Wednesday onwards, and before we knew it, Friday was over.

Wakamatsu should be happy that he can get Shizuku Mizuhara out of his head, but for some reason his heart still feels heavy. He looks down.

“…Maybe it wasn’t a big deal after all.”

“Whatever. I can forget about it like this in no time.”

“I guess it wasn’t a big deal after all…”

It began to feel as though I was neglecting the time I spent with Mizuhara, and my heart started to become tighter and tighter. I wanted to forget, but I didn’t want to. I was overcome with these conflicting emotions, and I couldn’t understand why.

“Well, it’s normal to forget a little bit. You’re living every day.”

“No matter how painful something is, there are times when you forget about it as long as you’re alive.”

“It’s not like it was no big deal because I forgot about it.”

Wakumura continues, stroking Wakamatsu’s back. When someone strokes your back, you naturally relax your shoulders.

“People with kind hearts can feel guilty about things like that.”

“Guilt…”

“There are people who feel they have to carry it.”

Wakamatsu remembers Mizuhara Shizuku. What about her?

“It was a tough three days, but it was fun.”

Wakumura’s words brought Wakamatsu back to his senses. He looked straight at Wakumura.

It was she who planned such a busy schedule, and it was all for Wakamatsu’s sake.

Wakamatsu’s heart felt warm. The heat must have reached his eyes, as tears began to gather in them.

“…I’m sorry, Wakumura, for worrying you.”

“No. We did what we wanted, so don’t worry about it.”

Does “we” refer to Masuda and Ariyoshi?

Something welling up in his chest pushes Wakamatsu to tears. Unable to hold back any longer, the tears overflow, dripping onto his trousers. Wakumura gently holds Wakamatsu in place.

“Let’s play again. This is probably the best thing for you right now, Kaede.”

As he stroked my back and head, I gradually felt my strength relax.

After crying in her arms for a while, Wakamatsu fell asleep, satisfying the sleepiness he had been building up for three days.