Classmates

Before the school festival, which combines the cultural festival and sports festival, our school holds a ball game tournament. I mean, as if a week-long school festival wasn’t enough, they throw this in too… and we’ve got the sports festival on top of that. Well, I heard the school decided to cram all these events together because students lose focus on classes during this season, with all the pre-event excitement. Makes sense, I guess.

Right after the sports festival, we’ve got the school trip coming up almost immediately…

To keep the ball game tournament from feeling too similar to the sports festival, the latter pits mixed-grade teams against each other, while this one is divided by grade and class.

It’s like a prelude to the sports festival, so every class gets fired up for it.

“We’ve got the soccer team’s ace in our class! No way we’re losing at soccer!”

“But isn’t mixed dodgeball worth the most points? Shouldn’t we send our best players there?”

“The girls are stuck with volleyball, so unless you can move decently, you’re toast. Our class barely has any volleyball players, though.”

Homeroom was buzzing with excitement.

“Alright, alright! We’re not getting anywhere with all this chatter, so let’s start filling slots with volunteers first. Miyano-kun, you’re on soccer, right?”

“I just said I’d volunteer, and you’re already locking me in? Well, soccer’s fine, I guess.”

With Touno and Hayato taking charge, the scattered focus of our classmates finally zeroed in on one thing.

“Man, those two are something else.”

Akito whispers to me.

“They’ve got this down pat. So, Akito, what are you signing up for?”

“Huh? If I had my way, I’d skip everything and just watch the girls’ volleyball match.”

“Hayato! Akito says he’s dying to play soccer!”

“Hey, what the—!?”

Akito’s got decent athletic skills. He’d probably slack off in dodgeball, but with Hayato around in soccer, he won’t be able to half-ass it. He’ll have to put in some effort.

“Sweet, then Kouki and Akito are on soccer.”

“Wait, I didn’t—”

Caught in the crossfire, I got roped into soccer too.

I mean, I have to pick something, but still.

“That’s what you get for trying to sell me out. Deal with it.”

No escaping now. Oh well. It’s better to have someone to talk to than be stuck alone, right?

“By the way…”

“Hm?”

“You’ve changed, man.”

“Huh?”

Akito just drops that out of nowhere.

“Changed how?”

“I mean, the old you—would you have spoken up like that in a situation like this?”

He’s got a point. It hits me only after he says it. What I did just now was kind of bold.

“Not a bad change, though. I don’t know what sparked it, but still.”

Akito’s grinning like a cheshire cat, and I’m too flustered to come up with a comeback.

If it’s not a bad change, like Akito says…

“Guess I owe it to Aisa.”

I mutter under my breath, glancing at Aisa.

Aisa’s looking my way too, and when our eyes meet, she freezes, her face stiffening for a second…

“Good luck.”

She mouths the words silently.

“Thanks.”

I mouth back, and Aisa’s face turns beet red as she whips her head forward.

Feeling my own cheeks heat up, I scramble to think of a way to play it cool.

◇

“This is awkward.”

“Can’t help it. We’re her guardians.”

“Guardians, huh…”

Lunchtime. For some reason, I’m in the courtyard, surrounded by Akitsu and the others.

Behind me, Yuuki’s clinging to the hem of my shirt, half-hiding.

“Sure, she hangs out with us at school, but Yuuki talks way more when Kouki-kun’s around.”

“Makes sense…”

It’s true—Yuuki’s oddly chatty when I’m there. Akitsu’s sharp for noticing that. Guess it’s because Yuuki spent the most time with me back then, more than with Aisa or Manami.

“Hey, hurry up and eat, or you’ll run out of time! Dig in, boys!”

Touno’s munching happily on a tako sausage while tossing out that remark.

Kanou, who’s been staring blankly at the scene, plops a meatball onto the lid of my bento.

“Here… have this.”

“Uh…”

I can’t tell if she’s responding to Touno’s “eat up” comment or just offloading something she doesn’t like.

“Oh, in that case, I’ll give you this too!”

Before I can refuse, Akitsu jumps in with a mischievous grin, sliding a bite-sized gratin my way.

Touno, watching the chaos unfold…

“Wait… I’m not…”

She makes a face like she’s been betrayed, reluctantly trying to add half a tako sausage to my bento lid…

“Hey, eat your own food.”

Aisa steps in to stop her. Touno, looking relieved, pops the other sausage into her mouth and starts anew.

“Still, Aisa, you’re even making bento for Fujino-kun now, huh?”

“Wha—!?”

Aisa’s face goes crimson. That alone gives away way too much…

Lately, at Aisa’s insistence, my parents have been sending me off with these knowing smirks. Not that I’m complaining—it’s delicious and I’m grateful, but…

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Childhood friends go that far? What’s the deal, Yuuki-chan?”

“A-Ah…”

The spotlight shifts, and I’m happy to let it slide away from me.

Today’s mission is to help Yuuki socialize, which is why I got dragged here.

By the way, I invited Akito, but he bailed immediately. Traitor…

Hayato and Makoto are at club practice during lunch, so they’ve got an excuse, at least.

“Yuuki’s still not used to this group, huh?”

“Nah, I think she’s gotten better at talking with us.”

With Akitsu’s social skills, it’s no surprise. Though in a different way, Kanou’s quiet presence probably helps Yuuki feel at ease too, since she’s used to it.

Akitsu keeps the conversation flowing.

“Still, I think she’s most relaxed when Kouki-kun’s around. Oh, and the reason we called you here today is to talk about Yuuki’s singing!”

“Oh, you already heard about that?”

“Duh! It sounds like fun! I’m gonna collab with her on an instrument next time!”

“That’s awesome…”

Right, Akitsu’s the band club president. Of course she’d be up for something like that.

I glance at Yuuki, and she’s smiling shyly, clearly thrilled.

“And she said you helped her with the mixing. Kouki-kun, you’re into music? Wanna join the band club? We’re always looking for more guys!”

“Pass, thanks…”

Joining a powerhouse club like that at this point? No way I’ve got the energy for it.

The band club works harder than some sports teams, honestly…

“Bummer. Well, anyway, we were talking about how to grow her videos from here.”

Yuuki’s already started posting, and she’s getting some traction. Figuring out how to take it to the next level is a big deal for her confidence.

I look at Yuuki, and she gives a small nod.

She’s half-hiding between me and Aisa, almost like she’s using us as a shield…

“Looking at it like this, she’s like your kid.”

“Wha—!?”

“A-Ah…”

Kanou says it in her usual listless tone, but it’s enough to make Aisa and Yuuki drop their food back into their bento boxes.

Good thing I wasn’t eating anything at the time.

“So, like, after you two get married, huh? Got it, got it.”

Even Touno, who usually acts as everyone’s brake in the classroom, ends up joining in on the mischief in times like this…

“Ugh! …Kouki, say something!”

“No, no, hold on…”

Aisa, her face bright red, lightly smacks me.

Everyone around us just watches with sly grins.

This is unbearable…

“Hehe, alright, I’ll let it slide for now, but we’re talking about Yuuki-chan’s song, okay?”

Touno barely manages to steer the conversation back on track.

“Fine, fine. Guess that’s that. Any good ideas? Like, have you checked out the post?”

“Yeah, sort of.”

After that, I got registered, and the song was posted pretty quickly.

I was worried Yuuki might get overwhelmed by the feedback, but surprisingly, she was thrilled just to get reactions, even the negative ones.

Honestly, getting a few comments on a first post is apparently a big deal.

Knowing she was over the moon being called a “promising newcomer,” I’ve been sneaking back to listen to the video here and there.

“It’s getting some solid views, right? To hit those numbers right off the bat, that’s wild!”

“Is it?”

I didn’t know the benchmarks, but Akitsu seemed clued in and filled me in.

“So, with this kind of traction, I’m thinking I could help out in a bunch of ways. What do you think? Got any ideas?”

“Uh, well…”

I mentally sort through the success stories I’d researched about posting songs before answering.

“First off… since the first one got such a great response, and the quality’s top-notch, I think Akitsu’s idea about a collab is really solid.”

“Mhm, mhm.”

From what I read, collabs between creators are a key way to get noticed by each other’s fans.

“Also… since getting known is the priority at the start, maybe try posting on different apps or doing livestreams… SNS, basically.”

“Exactly! That’s what I was thinking!”

Akitsu perks up at the mention of SNS.

“The ideal scenario is if someone with a ton of followers spots it and shares it—that’s supposed to help a lot.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Akitsu’s practically leaning forward now.

She’s got this smug vibe going… but Touno chimes in from the side.

“Rikako’s account has, like, thirty thousand followers…”

“No way…”

The ideal was literally right in front of us… I mean, a collab with Akitsu?

“If your first post got this much traction, it’s a win-win for both sides.”

What a world.

Yuuki, the star of the show, is trembling while clutching the hem of my shirt… but when she sings, she’s unreal.

Still, thirty thousand followers for Akitsu…?

“What even is that?”

“Haha, it just kinda… happened?”

Does it really just happen like that?

“Rikako’s got a lot of female followers because of her fashion and makeup posts.”

“Oh, got it.”

“That’s handy.”

Makes sense.

Since Touno and Kanou are saying it, I guess she really does have a big female following.

Akitsu herself doesn’t seem keen on diving into that topic, though, and instead scoots closer to show me her phone screen.

Guess she’s telling me to sign up for this SNS thing.

“Join the club, Kouki-kun~”

“Alright, alright.”

It’s probably better to get the hang of it anyway.

I start registering as she instructs, but…

“You don’t use your real name for this stuff, you know.”

“Yeah, makes sense… What should I go with?”

“By the way, Aisa’s handle is, like, ‘KumaKuma’ or something.”

“Got it.”

She really loves bears, huh.

I glance at Aisa, and she’s giving me her usual “What’s that look for?” face. Cute as always.

What should I pick, though…?

“How about something like ‘FujiFuji’?”

“Eh, I can change it later, so that’ll do.”

It’s just for supporting Yuuki anyway.

With Akitsu’s help, I follow a bunch of people I know, and when I check the screen again…

“This ‘rika’ account—that’s you, right, Akitsu?”

Probably from Akitsu Rikako.

“Yup, that’s me~”

Akitsu flashes a peace sign as she answers.

Thinking about the thirty thousand followers behind her makes it feel like I’m looking at something oddly sacred…

“So, if Yuuki posts about the song and I share it, it’ll probably get some buzz.”

That’s insane…

But if we’re doing this, we should time it right to make the most of it.

“If we’re gonna do it, it’d be great to drop a new song right when it gets shared.”

“Totally!”

“So, uh, Yuuki?”

I turn to Yuuki…

“The second song… it’s already ready.”

As expected.

“Alright! Then I’m gonna make it go viral!”

Akitsu says with a laugh.

“I heard it too—it’s amazing, Yuuki-chan.”

“So good…”

Touno and Kanou chime in with praise, and Yuuki hides again.

Well, yeah, that song’s got undeniable charm, no question about it.