Sports Festival

“Ah! Kouki-nii!”

Time passed in a blur, and before I knew it, the day of the sports festival—the prelude to the school festival—had arrived.

As Aisa and I were on standby, Manami came rushing toward us.

“Manami.”

“Oh, right. Free period, huh?”

“Yup!”

Sure, it was technically class time, but during this season, homeroom and similar periods were essentially free time for festival prep—a hallmark of our school.

The event period was pretty relaxed. They say it’s because we study hard normally, so the school doesn’t crack down too much. Probably something like that.

“Oh, senpai!”

“Hina-chan, wait up!”

Mishima-san and Yashima-san came running after Manami.

“Right. You’re all in the same class, aren’t you?”

“Kouki, you know them?”

“Yeah, from the cheer squad…”

Mishima-san and Yashima-san greeted Aisa, and they exchanged quick introductions.

“The first-years’ events are tomorrow, right?”

“Yup! It’s all individual competitions for us first-years, though.”

“Oh, right, that’s how it works.”

I think it’s stuff like tennis, table tennis, and badminton, played in rotation, with the class racking up the most wins taking the crown. And with those rules…

“It’s gonna be Manami’s time to shine.”

“Ehehe! If I snag MVP, you’ll go on a date with me, right, Kou-nii?”

“Wha—?!”

Aisa reacted before I could.

“Why don’t you aim for it too, Onee-chan?”

“Ugh…”

Manami grinned mischievously while Aisa let out a groan.

“Unlike you, Manami, there’s no way I’d get MVP.”

At Aisa’s words, Mishima-san’s face lit up like she’d had a revelation, and she leaned in close to me with a grin.

“Then, senpai! If I win even one match tomorrow, how about a date? What do you say?”

“Uh… Kouki?”

Aisa’s shocked reaction came faster than mine, leaving me speechless. I mean, Mishima-san’s probably joking or something… but it led to Aisa blurting this out.

“W-Well, then… if I… score a point today…”

Aisa’s face turned bright red as she fidgeted with her hair, looking so adorable that Mishima-san couldn’t help but say:

“What’s with that… Aisa-senpai’s too cute… I wanna hug her.”

“No way!”

“Hey, Hina-chan?!”

Manami stepped in front of Aisa protectively.

Yashima-san hurriedly intervened, but Mishima-san doubled down, stirring up even more chaos.

“Mie-chan, you sure you don’t wanna join in? You’re the only one left out!”

“Huh?! Uh… well… if I score a point too, then…”

“Alright, alright. Enough joking around—focus on cheering, okay?”

“Aw, senpai!”

Before things spiraled further, I brushed it off and dragged Aisa toward the gym to escape.

On the way—

“Hey.”

Aisa tugged at the hem of my gym clothes, looking away as she spoke.

“Um… would it really be… okay if I scored a point and… we went on a date?”

Her face was beet red, and the way she glanced up at me was so cute I was at a loss for words.

“…Is it okay?”

“No way it’s not okay. Let’s go right now. Anywhere you want.”

“W-Wait?! Not, like, right now!”

“Oh…”

Her overwhelming charm almost made me lose it for a second.

That left both of us blushing, and a long silence followed.

“Then… it’s a promise…”

With that, Aisa darted off, leaving me standing there, frozen, for who knows how long.

◇ [Aisa’s Perspective]

“I’m gonna do this…!”

I changed into a borrowed volleyball uniform, psyching myself up.

I’d heard from Manami, but it really seemed like Kouki was super popular with the underclassmen…

Not that I think Kouki would do anything weird, but I can’t help feeling a little… unsettled.

If it’s not me… then at least Manami… No, that’s not right!

Anyway, for the sake of our date promise, I’m gonna give it my all today.

It’s not like Manami, but moving my body might help clear up this foggy feeling.

“Whoa, you’re unusually fired up, Aisa.”

Rikako came over, giving my shoulder a playful tap.

Right beside her, Aiko was talking to Mie.

“Don’t get hurt, okay? Especially you, Mie…”

“I’ll be fine… probably.”

I totally got why Aiko was worried.

Mie, who usually skips events like this, was going all-in today.

The class was hyped about having a top-tier athlete join us, but we were more worried than excited.

We knew how careful Mie was about avoiding injuries and how seriously she took figure skating…

“How about Kanou-san plays libero? That way, you won’t have to jump, and most volleyball injuries happen during landings.”

Thanks to one of the few volleyball club members taking charge, we settled on a plan. But then…

“So, what’s with the sudden motivation? Did Kouki-kun say something to you?”

“Shut up!”

“Hehe. Well, it’s great you’re so pumped. With your height, Aisa, you’re a key player.”

Sure, I’d be no match for club members, but among non-athletes, my average height might actually make me stand out.

Teased by Rikako and calmed by Aiko, I headed into pre-game practice.

◇

“They’re so strong…”

The opposing class had four volleyball club members, while we had just one active player and one with experience—a massive disadvantage.

In a single-set match to twenty-five points, we were trailing 23–8, completely outclassed.

And…

“I haven’t scored a single point…”

It’s a tournament, so if we lose here, it’s over… My date with Kouki is on the line, so I have to score, no matter what. I can’t let it end with just two points left!

“I’m setting it up for Takanishi-san, so get ready. You’re the only one in position to hit right now.”

“Got it!”

The opponent’s serve came at a brutal speed, but Mie’s athletic instincts kicked in, and she got it up perfectly. The volleyball club member set the ball. We’d gotten this far without issue.

The problem was what came next.

Me, Rikako, Aiko—we’d only ever done volleyball in gym class, so we could barely spike. We’d just hit it back from high up, only for their volleyball club members to smash it back with ease, over and over.

So far, only the experienced player and our club member had scored.

“Here we go, Takanishi-san!”

I’d been taught the basics of spiking during practice.

I hadn’t pulled it off once yet, but maybe just one time!

Left, right, left… Feet parallel to the net. Jump and swing down.

I can do this!

That’s what I thought in that moment.

“Aisa! You got this!”

“Huh… Kouki… ah?!”

My arm completely whiffed, grazing the side of the ball with a pathetic thud.

“What?!”

But because of that, the opposing volleyball players, who’d backed up to prepare, were caught off guard…

—Plop

The ball dropped onto their court, and the scoreboard ticked up.

“Nice feint, Aisa!”

“Wow, even I didn’t see that coming.”

“As expected of the Goddess of Victory’s big sister!”

Somehow, I was getting all this praise.

But that wasn’t on purpose…

“Nice point!”

It was an accidental flub, thanks to getting startled by Kouki’s sudden appearance—an embarrassing point, to be honest.

“One more!”

“Whoa, you’re on fire, Aisa.”

If one point means a date, maybe two points could mean two dates.

And…

“You got this!”

Kouki was cheering for me, and I wanted to live up to that.

◇

“Tough luck, huh?”

“Yeah…”

After that, the opponent’s serves landed in spots even Mie and our club member couldn’t reach, and the match ended quickly.

It might’ve been the first time I ever felt frustrated over a sport.

Manami would cry when she lost, always giving it her all. Today, I think I understood a bit of how she feels.

“But you did score one point.”

“You saw it?”

Yeah… he saw it.

Even the embarrassing way I got that point…

But a point’s a point.

“So…”

“Hey, Aisa.”

“Huh?”

Kouki suddenly looked straight at me and said:

“You don’t need to do all this for a date. I’d go with you anytime… because… I want to.”

“—?!”

His voice got quieter toward the end, barely audible, but his words hit me clear as day…

“Th…anks…”

And they left my cheeks burning bright red.