My Childhood Friend, Sometimes a Schoolgirl—She Only Wears That Ribbon Around Me - Episode 27

After getting first aid, we rested in the nurse’s office for a bit before heading back to class.

Because of my injury, I had to sit out for the rest of the class and ended up spending a boring chunk of time just watching my classmates take their measurements from the edge of the schoolyard.

When the bell rang to signal the end of class, the PE teacher called me over and explained that we’d do the parts I missed during the next gym class.

Originally, the physical fitness tests were planned over two days, so it looked like I wouldn’t have to take mine alone. That was a bit of a relief. …Well, that aside.

“I’ve really been left behind, huh…”

As I walked back from the field to the classroom, I was hit with the painful reminder of where I stood in the class.

Even though I got hurt pretty badly, no one stuck around after class to check on me or even said something like “Are you okay?” while I was talking to the teacher.

The only one who seemed like she wanted to wait for me was Yua, but when the teacher called me over, I told her, “It might take a while,” and asked her to go on ahead to class.

Feeling kind of empty at how little anyone cared, I walked alone and dejected back toward the main school building.

“…Huh?”

But—just as I stepped into the main building, I let out a dumb little noise.

I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand, thinking I must be seeing things from exhaustion, because there was someone standing there I didn’t expect at all.

“Tsuzuki-kun, are you done talking with the teacher?”

But she was definitely real.

“S-Saho Minamikata…? Why are you still here…?”

Standing in front of the lockers just inside the entrance—still in her gym clothes—was Saho Minamikata.

“What do you mean, why? I was waiting for you.”

“F-For me…? What about your classmates, the ones you’re always with?”

“I told them to go ahead. So, it’s just me.”

I stood there frozen, unable to believe what was happening.

Honestly, it made no sense. I couldn’t imagine why Minamikata would wait for me, and my mind started spiraling—maybe I’d accidentally done something to upset her?

Wait… did she notice I kinda stared at her chest a bit too long during the long jump or side steps…?

“…I’m really sorry.”

“Wha—huh? Why are you apologizing!?”

I bowed my head right away, and Minamikata waved her hands, clearly flustered.

“You figured out what I did and were about to turn me in to the teacher, weren’t you…?”

“Did you actually do something bad, Tsuzuki-kun?”

“No, I’m innocent. I just apologized to prove my innocence.”

“Apologizing out of nowhere just makes you look more suspicious.”

Minamikata covered her mouth with her hand and let out a cheerful laugh.

It was the first time I’d ever seen her smile just for me, and my heart gave a heavy thump in my chest.

“You know, Tsuzuki-kun, you’re actually pretty funny. We’ve talked a few times before, but I had no idea.”

“R-Really…?”

Judging by how she was acting, it didn’t seem like I’d accidentally done anything wrong.

“So, um… was there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

“I saw you take a bad fall during the 50-meter dash. I just wanted to check… is your leg okay?”

“Ugh…”

Just hearing her bring up that embarrassing moment made me want to bury my face in my hands. …Still, I never expected her to be worried about me.

That mix of embarrassment and happiness stirred up a storm of emotions inside me.

“Whoa… the bl00d’s really showing through the bandage.”

Minamikata crouched down to eye level with my right knee and frowned slightly as she murmured.

“I-It’s really not that bad! Just a scraped knee—it used to happen all the time before I got to high school!”

“Did you play a sport or something?”

“S-Soccer… back in elementary and middle school.”

“That explains it! You were the fastest one out of the three of you for most of the race! And the other two were in the basketball and baseball clubs… That’s seriously impressive, Tsuzuki-kun!”

Her voice rose with excitement as she practically bounced in place.

“You were really watching me run that closely…?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t remember that much if I wasn’t.”

“I-I see…”

I thought getting praised for running fast was something that stopped in early elementary school, but maybe even high schoolers still appreciate it.

Sure, wiping out was humiliating—but now, it didn’t matter. Just knowing Minamikata had been watching made my heart race.

“…Hey, Tsuzuki-kun. You and Yushiro-san… you two seem pretty close.”

“Yushiro? You mean Yua and me?”

“Yeah. She took you to the nurse’s office and everything.”

She brought up Yua so suddenly that I hesitated, unsure how to respond.

“I guess we’re pretty close? She came over to eat at my place the other day too.”

“! Oh, right. You guys are childhood friends, huh?”

“Yeah, that’s right. …Wait, did I ever tell you that?”

“Not directly. I just heard it through rumors.”

Yua’s got a lot of fans at school now, so I guess it’s no surprise that people talk about who she hangs out with. Still, if possible, I’d prefer not to have my name come up in that context. But with how much time we’ve been spending together lately, that’s probably unavoidable.

“Tsuzuki-kun… there’s something I’ve wanted to apologize for.”

“Huh? To me?”

“Yeah. I… I’m really sorry!”

Minamikata bowed deeply, her voice clear and sincere.