Watching soccer

“Feels like it’s been forever since we hung out like this.”

“We see each other at school every day, don’t we?”

Bantering back and forth with Akito.

Today, I was here to cheer on Hayato’s soccer match.

“Your weekends are all about work or your girlfriend, huh?”

Ignoring Akito’s smirking grin, I glance over at the girls.

Aisa, Yuuki, Touno, and Akitsu were here, and today Manami had joined them too. The only ones missing from our school trip crew were Kanou and Makoto, who apparently couldn’t get away from practice.

“Manami’s fitting in like she’s always been part of the group.”

“She’s blending in even better than Irino.”

“Don’t say that…”

Yuuki still tends to keep people at a distance in class. She’s fine when she’s relaxed with our childhood friend group or in work mode, but right now, she was subtly hiding behind Aisa and Manami, just trying to get through it.

“Still, I didn’t expect you to show up, Akito.”

“Hm? Oh, well, stuff happened.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You dragged things out plenty before, so I’ll tell you later.”

“…?”

Akito’s cryptic comment piqued my curiosity, but it looked like the match was about to start.

“You better spill later.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”

For now, I decided to focus on cheering for Hayato, who was standing in the center circle with the ace number ten on his back. The referee’s whistle blew, and the match began.

◇

“Huh…? Akitsu…?”

During a break in the match, I’d slipped away to the bathroom and was heading back to my seat when I spotted Akitsu standing alone, staring at the field.

Thinking she was on her way back to her seat, I approached to call out to her.

“…So cool.”

“Huh…?”

Akitsu’s murmur reached my ears at the worst possible moment.

Her voice alone wouldn’t have been a big deal. But one look at her expression made it painfully clear that those words weren’t just about the game.

Especially since Hayato wasn’t even holding the ball right now.

“Wha… K-Kouki-kun!?”

“Uh, yeah, he’s cool, right? Hayato, I mean.”

I tried to play it off casually to brush it aside, but…

“You noticed, didn’t you…?”

Akitsu started talking, as if she’d already given up on hiding it.

I’m dating Aisa. Plus, during the fireworks festival, Manami confessed to me, and at the school festival, Yuuki did too. I’d gotten to the point where I could pick up on what emotions were behind Akitsu’s little murmur.

Or maybe it’s because it’s someone else’s feelings that I could figure it out…

“Since when?”

“Forever. I knew he was into Aisa, and I still…”

“Seriously…?”

Seeing this new side of Akitsu, who’s always the bright mood-maker, left me frozen, unsure how to respond.

“Ugh, to think I’d get found out so easily!”

Akitsu said in her usual playful tone.

“Oh well, now that the cat’s out of the bag, maybe it’s for the best.”

“Huh…?”

“I mean, come on, you know Aisa better than anyone since you’re dating her, right?”

“Well…”

I’m not sure I’d go that far. But Akitsu’s switching gears so fast my head’s spinning. I need to keep up or I’ll get left behind.

“So, here’s the deal. Can you help me figure out how to be Hayato’s type?”

“His type…?”

“Hmm… let’s start simple, like with my casual clothes! Come shopping with me again like last time! As a thank-you, let’s see…”

Akitsu leaned in close to my ear.

“How about I let you sneak a peek at my panties?”

“Wha—?!”

“Haha! Kidding. I’ll treat you to lunch or something. And since going out just the two of us would get me in hot water with Aisa, she gotta come too. Sound good?”

“Uh, sound good…?”

Her invitation left me with practically no room to say no. It’d be too cold to brush her off now.

“Fine. I’ll talk to Aisa.”

“Thanks! Oh, and…”

“You want to tell Aisa yourself, right?”

“Wow, you get it! Exactly! Let me handle it. We’ll sort out the details over messages. Is it cool if I get your contact from Aisa?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Sweet! Alright, we should head back before people start getting the wrong idea.”

“Huh…?”

I glanced toward our seats and saw Aisa glaring at us with a slightly puffed-up face.

Uh-oh…

“Man, you’re one lucky guy to have Aisa making such cute faces at you.”

“Yeah, but…”

It’s not exactly cute that’s the issue here. This is mostly Akitsu’s fault…

“Haha, don’t worry. I’ll clear it up with her right away.”

“Please do.”

True to her word, Akitsu pulled Aisa aside during the match to explain, and the misunderstanding was cleared up quickly…

“What was that about?”

“Oh, uh, earlier was…”

“I get it. I get it, but… don’t go off like that again.”

For the rest of the match, Aisa refused to leave my side.

◇

“By the way, high school soccer always has those theme songs, right? Yuuki, you ever sing one?”

Thanks to Hayato’s stellar performance, the team won big, and as we were getting ready to head out, Akitsu casually brought it up.

“Uh, um…”

“Oh, is it still a secret or something?”

“No… I mean, if it’s you guys, it’s fine… I might be doing a song for the regional tournament.”

“Whoa!”

That’s amazing.

“Did you know about this, Kouki?”

“Nope, first I’m hearing of it. I’m just as shocked.”

“Sounds like there’s a lot to dig into here… I mean, I get keeping it from me, but hiding it from Kouki? Doesn’t seem likely.”

Akito said. Yeah, that does make sense.

Still, Yuuki’s really going places… That’s incredible.

Speaking of which…

“If we’re talking about spilling secrets, don’t you have something to share, Akito?”

“Huh? Oh, uh…”

Akito’s gaze started wandering.

And it landed on…

“…? Touno?”

“You wanted to know why I showed up, right? That’s your answer.”

Akito said it so casually.

My brain took a second to catch up…

“Wait, you like her?!”

“Keep your voice down! Geez… Like, well, we’re already dating.”

“What?!”

Since when…?

Apparently, Touno had been making moves on him since the school festival prep. That’s surprising…

The troublemaker and the student council vice president seem like an odd pair, but…

“Well, congrats, man.”

“Thanks.”

“So, you’re finally done with your playboy days and getting serious…”

“Yeah, well…”

Knowing how much he used to mess around outside school, it’s kind of a big deal.

“Aiko was saying she might talk to Takanishi about some stuff, so you’ll probably get dragged into it too, Kouki.”

“Talk about…?”

The way he’s already calling her Aiko so casually shows how comfortable Akito is with this.

He’s way too smooth…

But a consultation, huh?

“Come on, in this group, you and I are the ones with the most relationship experience, right?”

Akito grinned slyly.

Got it…

Considering how Akito handles relationships, I’ve got a feeling whatever they talk about is gonna make Aisa blush like crazy…

“Alright, I’m counting on you, senpai.”

My mischievous friend clapped me on the shoulder with a laugh.

Still, looking at his face, I could tell how serious he was about this relationship.

“Congrats again.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

I hadn’t expected this pairing, but by the time we finished talking, they somehow felt like a perfectly natural couple.