A Story About a Handsome Girl Having Her First Kiss Stolen by an Equally Handsome Classmate - Episode 52

September 17th (Saturday)

The 70th Sakugaoka High School athletics meet has begun.

Perhaps because it is a well-known local high school, the venue was crowded with people who had come to support the team.

Mizuhara was busy setting up the venue and directing the crowd. He was so busy he barely had time to drink water, but the program seemed to be going smoothly without any major issues.

As I was washing my face vigorously at the sink between shifts, I heard a voice behind me.

“Mizuhara-san! Help!”

The high-pitched voice belongs to my classmate, Masuda.

Seeing their urgency, I turned around to see what was going on and there stood a cheerful Masuda with his hair tied up higher than usual, and a dusty Wakamatsu Hanafude.

“Well, what happened to that?”

Mizuhara opened his eyes.

Wakamatsu’s leg, from his knee to his shin, was covered in wounds mixed with white dust and red bl00d.

“I was dragged along by a stick.”

“This is what happens when you don’t let go of the stick right away!”

Masuda nudged Wakamatsu, who was standing next to him.

“We have an obstacle course starting soon! Can I leave it to you, Wakamatsu?”

“Sorry, Mizuhara, I’ll take you to the nurse’s office.”

“Ah, yeah…”

I took care of Wakamatsu, who was dragging his leg.

The scrapes from the knees down are very painful. In the pole-pulling sport, if you fall and are dragged to the opponent’s territory, you can get seriously injured. That’s what Wakamatsu is doing now.

“Sorry, Mizuhara.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“…But Mizuhara, you have an amazing face.”

Mizuhara saw her face reflected in the window in the hallway.

I see myself reflected in the window, frowning and looking anxious, my whole face showing how worried I am about Wakamatsu.

“You’re worried, aren’t you?”

Mizuhara is stubborn.

“That’s right,” Wakamatsu said with a smile. “Your brightness is making me dizzy, so please stop.”

“There will be a block relay race, so come and watch.”

“Why?”

“I want to show Mizuhara how cool I am.”

I left Wakamatsu in the care of Mr. Sato at the nurse’s office and was about to leave when someone called out to me.

Mizuhara checks the shift in front of him. The block relay is the last program.

“…I understand. Until then, get some rest.”

“Oh, that’s a promise!”

Mizuhara Shizuku ignored the cheerful voice, which sounded nothing like that of an injured person, and returned to the operations control room.

Before anyone knew it, the program was heading towards the second half. Mizuhara was given a late lunch break by his overworked senior and stuffed his face with rice balls.

Management work is busy.

Time flies when you’re busy doing your work.

As the program neared the end, the call was made for the block relay. As soon as the announcement was made, Mizuhara stopped what he was doing and emerged from the organisers tent.

The players enter the ring with cheers.

This is the final program of the sports day. The most points are awarded to the block, and the cheering battle is also very heated.

“Wakamatsu senpai!”

“Wakamatsu-san!”

A lot of cheers were sent to Wakamatsu Hanakaede.

Wearing a red number plate and gym clothes, she stands out. When Wakamatsu pushes her bangs back in annoyance, the girls in the red block squeal with delight. Meanwhile, Wakamatsu, with a serious look on her face, takes a deep breath and jumps lightly to prepare her body.

When the judge stepped onto the stage, the surrounding area became completely silent. Mizuhara held her breath as the tension enveloped the entire venue.

The signal sounds.

The first runners at the starting line started running together, though they were a bit tangled. The runners in the four blocks kept each other in check as they went along. After half a lap around the track, the runners in the blue block took off, and the runners in the yellow block also took off in a spurt.

“Wakamatsu-senpai!”

“Go Wakamatsu!”

The second runner moves to the takeover zone where each baton pass takes place, takes a running start, and extends his arm to the baton. The baton is handed over to Wakamatsu in third place.

Wakamatsu switched the baton to his other hand, faced forward, kicked the ground with force, and started running.

“For about 200 meters, I feel like I’m just holding my breath and running.”

“What, are you holding your breath?”

“That’s what my sprint teacher told me in middle school.”

I remember a conversation I had with her.

“But the 400 meters isn’t like that – it’s long and tough.”

Wakamatsu has a bitter look on his face.

But still, she runs. She runs.

She ran with such ease that it was as if the wind was pushing her from behind. From the start, she ran at a high pace, challenging the runners in the yellow block ahead of her. The whole stadium was captivated by Wakamatsu’s steady pace as she caught up with them.

Her body moved forward ahead of the player clad in yellow soap.

The red block cheering section erupted in loud, yellow cheers. It was as if they were the anchor cheering.

“… Young pine.”

Mizuhara’s hands are sweating.

Wakamatsu’s steps are bigger, and the distance between her and the runner in front is visibly closing. In any case, Wakamatsu’s running is a pleasure to watch. With about 50 meters to go, she accelerates as fast as she can.

Wakamatsu’s body jumped out in front of the players in the blue block.

As she runs forward, she shines brighter than anyone else in the venue.

“Wakamatsu! Up to here!”

The red block runner stands in the takeover zone, waiting for the pass from the runner ahead. The man who reaches out to Wakamatsu is the ace of the track and field team. Wakamatsu hands the baton to him with a big smile on his face.KanzakiKanzaki

Mizuhara felt envious of Kanzaki, who was the recipient of the most shining smiles in the venue. The baton pass was successful, and Wakamatsu rolled into the inside of the track with the same momentum. Watching Kanzaki go, Wakamatsu waved lightly to the cheering section of the red block. At that moment, a roar-like cheer erupted from inside the block.

“Mizuhara-san, can you help me here?”

While I was stunned by how well he performed, just as he had declared, I heard a senior call me from behind. He said he wanted me to take over for the official who was carrying the equipment inside the tent. I wasn’t able to watch the relay until the end, but Wakamatsu’s brave figure was burned into my memory.

Return your body to the tent.

“Mizuhara!”

The loud voice made Mizuhara instinctively turn around.

A broken-faced classmate stretched out his arms wide and shouted towards me.

“Wasn’t that cool!”

The center of attention laughed with a beaming smile.

That smile was so broad it blew everything away, and it shook Mizuhara’s heart.

I want to run up to her right now and embrace her in her warmth. Such a desire wells up inside me.punishmentmountain

“…Mizuhara-san?”

My senior peers look at me with a puzzled look on their faces.

The sun was scorching Mizuhara’s body, and he was unable to move no matter what.