Chapter 12 - Confrontation, Recap, Sports
As the Sun's ray shined through the window of St Isidore's College, a lone male walked in the hallway. A sword by his side, he stepped unhurriedly as he brought his hand to cover his mouth. Blinking twice after yawning, the boy's body strode forward, following his feet to wherever it wanted to take him.
Turning right, he spotted two women heading towards him. Recognising them, he called their names.
"Touko-san. Aki-san. Good morning."
Hearing their names being called, Touko and Aki greeted back at the boy. "Ah, Yuuta… right?" Said the one wearing glasses. "Didn't expect to see you this early."
"What are you doing out here?" Aki asked.
Shifting the weight of his backpack to one shoulder, Yuuta replied. "Ah, nothing. I'm just exploring the campus building, walking around, trying to make sure there's nothing dangerous nearby, that kind of things," he then yawned again.
"Did you spent the entire night awake?" Yuuta nodded in which Aki eyed him strangely. "Woah, you're one tough guy." She neared him and elbowed slightly at his side with a grin. "It's a shame you're taken by that Yuki girl, though, otherwise I wouldn't mind being with you."
"I wouldn't mind either," Touko entered the conversation. "Same with that other guy… Shuuya, was it? Yeah, he's one hunky guy, and you could tell from his looks alone that he's popular with the girls," staring at Yuuta, she queried. "He's still single, right?"
Yuuta looked slightly uncomfortable about being the subject of conversation with his friend between the two older girls. So, he tried to find a way out by asking them a question. "Putting that matter aside, where are you two going?"
"We're going to talk with 'them'," answered Touko.
"'Them'?" Yuuta repeated the word confusedly.
"The Melee Fight Crew," Aki explained.
Nodding in understanding, Yuuta doesn't seem surprised at the statement. "You can talk with them? I didn't know that."
"There's a room between our rooms. It's in a neutral area," Touko told him. "Sometimes, they would call us for some discussion or sharing informations."
"Is that so?" Massaging his neck, the boy with the sword said bluntly. "Can I join you guys?"
Touko and Aki didn't expect the question and seemed a little reluctant to comply. "Are you sure?" Aki asked. "Even if it's true that it is a neutral area, there's still a chance that they will try to hurt you if you meet them. And even if they don't, they'll try to recruit you into their group whether you like it or not."
Unexpectedly for them, Yuuta suddenly laughed. After a minute, his laughter died down and he smiled. "Touko-san, Aki-san. Pardon my rudeness but I don't think you should worry much about me. I can take care of myself just fine. You saw on my first day here, right? I'm perfectly capable of defending myself and others, I won't be standing here if I'm not," then, he chuckled lightly before smiling. "Also, as if they could persuade me away from my friends, especially Yuki. Yeah, good luck with that."
"I… see…" Aki muttered quietly. "However, I still think that it's safer if you bring another representative. Not only for your own safety, but also for ours."
"Alright then," Yuuta agreed. Just then, a certain Akazawa sibling stumbled upon the three at the hallway.
"Oh. Good morning, Kiriha, Touko-san, Aki-san," the person greeted. "What are you all talking about?"
"Good timing, Shuuya," suddenly, Shuuya had his shoulder held by Yuuta. "You'll do for this. Is that alright, you two?"
Touko nodded. "He'll do," then, she walked away, Aki following her. Dragging Shuuya by the hand, Yuuta trudged behind. As for Shuuya, he could only open his mouth in confusion over what he had gotten himself into.
"Why are they here?"
The question was delivered with clear contempt behind the voice. The owner twitched his eye slightly over the group of peoples in front of him. Two women were currently sitting at the other end of the arrangement of tables while two males we're standing quite conspicuously behind the two. Oh, and one of the guy carried a sword into the room, even though he leant it against the wall immediately after entering.
"They wanted to come, as representative of their own group," explained Touko to the leader of Melee Fight Crew, Togou Takahito, a man with short, slightly spiky blond hair and an attire that consists of a red t-shirt, black pants, and a leather jacket along with gloves. There are some piercings on his ears also.
"Are they safe?" Questioned the women beside him. She had long, straight violet hair with a head band, and sharp, grey eyes. He wears a white shirt with a green jacket over it and a long skirt. "They come from outside, didn't they?"
"You can ask them yourselves, if you want," Aki replied before another woman presented her and Touko with a cup of tea. Wearing a white shirt and black top underneath, she, as with the other two, had a turquoise coloured jacket on along with black shorts and long, white stockings. Her hair was long, straight and light-brown coloured which she tied in a side ponytail, while her eyes were light pink. "Thank you, Sino."
"Are you worried about our condition?" Spoke Yuuta, an uncharacteristic smirk on his face. "I don't think there's anything to worry about, as I'm sure I and my friend here are not in danger of turning into 'them' anytime soon."
"How can we be sure?" Takahito glared at him.
Yuuta laughed a little. "You can't. You just have to take my word for now."
The blond man stared at Yuuta for a second more before opening his mouth again. "Then leave you sword outside. This is a neutral space for a reason. There's not supposed to be any weapons in here."
"Oh, this?" Yuuta pointed at Tamashiha with the point of his shoe. "This is not just a weapon… this sword is also a part of me, one that I could not leave behind unless in the hands of those I trust. This blade," he picked the sword and showed it to them. "Is more valuable than your life."
Takahito and the woman next to him looked at Yuuta who still sported his disturbing smirk. "Whatever," spoke Takahito after a few tense moments. "That's not what we wanted to talk today."
"So, what business do you want to talk with us?" Asked Touko.
"You have some peoples over at your side," Takahito remarked.
"Isn't it unfair to take them all for yourselves?" Commented the violet haired woman.
Aki folded her arms in irritation. "Why should you care? Isn't it wrong for you to fire an arrow at them in the first place."
"It didn't hurt anyone, though," said the man.
"Isn't that because I blocked it?" Lazily, Yuuta countered.
Takahito sighed. "I'll punish Kougami later." The other group looked with scepticism before he spoke again. "Look, if we did something wrong then I'm sorry. But can't we put that in the past and start again? If you don't want to share peoples then it's fine, but at least you can share supplies and information with us, right?"
"Our supplies are ours, we'll share it if we feel like sharing. But if you want information," with a swipe of his hand, Yuuta threw a booklet at the duo across the table. "Then you can have that thing."
Catching the booklet with one hand, the older guy felt curios and started flipping through the pages with the woman beside him peering the contents. Finally, he placed the document on the table and slumped in his chair, a look of shock on his face. "I can't believe it."
"Hey, Yuuta," Touko turned towards the boy. "Why did you give them the manual?" She shout-whispered.
"It's okay, Touko-san. I've already read it many times before. Plus, I don't believe we need it anymore," replied Yuuta.
"What is this…" Uttered Takahito slowly. "WHAT IS THIS?!" he repeated as his fist hit the table, rage clear in his voice. "Biological weapons? You mean to tell me all of this is just an experiment? Don't mess with me!"
"Where did you get this?" The violet haired woman asked, her tone still indifferent like before.
Closing his eyes and taking a light breath, Yuuta answered cooly. "We found it at our school. It was well-equipped and well-powered, just like this university. However, most of the equipment were wrecked after an incident. That's what caused us to venture out for other places to settle on. On a related note," he then placed his arm around Shuuya's neck and pulled him closer. "Shuuya here and his two companions came from another building, one that's also built to prepare for this situation but smaller. We've also encountered another one in our travels."
"So… there really are other survivors out there," said the other woman, who's name is Uhara Sino. "Then, doesn't that mean someone will come to rescue us eventually?" She asked Yuuta with a loud voice.
"Sino" spoke the other female member sternly.
"Sorry…" Sino hid her face with the tea tray, embarrassed about her outburst.
For some reason smiling at the question, Yuuta gave his reply. "Unfortunately, I have no answer for that. However, if you want some real explanation, you can go to the other place marked on the map, the Randall Corporation Building. That is, if the person who created this hellish world want to answer you."
"You've met him?" Kamiji Ayaka, the woman with violet hair spoke with mild surprise.
"Yes."
Suddenly, Takahito stood up and glared at Yuuta. "Tell me… Tell me… TELL ME WHO IS IT THAT CAUSED ALL OF THIS?!"
"It was my father," without emotion, Yuuta replied. "It was my father who unleashed this hell on humanity, a bastard of the highest level, wrecker of household and killer of his own family. That's what my father is right now."
All the occupants of the room were shocked and surprised after hearing the words that came out of Yuuta's mouth, most affected being Shuuya. "That can't be… Mr Kiriha is…" he muttered in disbelief.
"You're saying, that your father was the one who released this… biological weapon that killed many peoples and destroyed society?" Yuuta nodded solemnly at Takahito's question. "Then, why don't you kill him!?" He pointed at the younger boy.
"Why, you ask?" Placing a finger under his chin, the black haired boy paced around his side of the room. "What do you think? Is it because he's my father that I let him go? Or is it because he had a reasonable excuse? Or that he is being controlled by another person to perform the deed? No. None of that is the reason why I don't kill him. The reason is that he is dangerous, as dangerous as me with no qualms to get rid of anyone that's obstructing him from his goal. The reason why I am still here is because I'm his son, but even that will not stop him from ending my life if I threatened his existence. He let me go once, he's not going to do it again. However, if you wish to meet him, feel free to do so, though I doubt you'll be able to survive."
"You bastard…" Takahito growled. "You dare look down on us?!"
Yuuta chuckled at the question, to the confusion of Touko and Aki. "Oh no, I didn't mean to do that. But your attitude is pretty much what most weakling would say."
"How dare you!" Jumping atop the table, the blonde man leapt towards Yuuta's figure, his right hand balled into a fist.
Moving fast, Yuuta blocked the punch with his sword. The moment the attack hit, he quickly pulled the blade from its sheath and aimed, not at the abdomen, but at the neck of his aggressor. The metal shimmered even in the windowless room. However, he stopped inches from actually touching the skin.
Snapping out of his rage, Takahito realised the predicament he's in and halted his movements. Glaring at the eyes of the boy who managed to bring him trouble, he maintained his fighting stance.
Suddenly, an ice pick and a folding knife appeared near Yuuta, both of them pointing at his neck. The holder of the weapons, Sino and Ayaka stared at him with pointed glares for the latter and a determined expression for the former.
"Don't do anything stupid," then, the two women of the Melee Fight Crew sensed a presence behind them. Shuuya, having equipped his spiked brass knuckles, was pointing his fist at the necks of Sino and Ayaka. "You don't want to get hurt, don't you?"
The five were in a stalemate with Yuuta, Takahito, Sino, Ayaka and Shuuya not moving from their position, waiting for the other to make their move. The other two, Touko and Aki, who are definitely not combatants, watched nervously as they feared for the worst. Seconds passed with a thick tension hanging in the air as no one dared to move a muscle, which ended when Yuuta opened his mouth.
"I think that is enough for now," he lowered his weapon, which prompted the others to also lower their own. Turning his back to them, he walked to the door. "I have other things to do than arguing with your group. Any confrontation would only end in useless harm." When he reached the door, he faced the room occupants again. "Just like you said, let's put everything in the past and start a new relationship. If you like that, then know that I'm open for discussion. Touko-san, Aki-san, if you want to talk about things, then you can find me at the dining room. Shuuya, let's go out now. Our business here is over for today." And with that, Yuuta exited the room with Shuuya tailing after him.
Staring at the door with open mouths, Touko and Aki finally came back to their senses and the leader coughed lightly into her hand. "Ehem. That's enough for today. If there's nothing else to say, then I think we're done now."
"Wait," hearing a voice, the two women stopped in their tracks. "What is that guy's name?" Questioned Takahito.
"Kiriha Yuuta," Touko said simply before exiting the room with Aki.
"Ah, Yuu-kun! You're finally here!" Yuki exclaimed happily at seeing Yuuta enter the dining room. "You too, Shuuya-kun."
"What took you so long, Yuuta, Shuuya-san?" Kurumi said, breaking off briefly from staring at Maki. "The food's almost gone, you know."
"Don't get sad, though. I've set some aside for you two and Touko-san and Aki-san," stated Yuuri.
"Where exactly did you both go, senpai?" Questioned Miki, peeking from the book she's reading. "It's rare for you to intentionally miss any meals."
"Did the both of you find something interesting?" Ryuuko asked with glitters in her eyes. Also, there's a piece of cloth with several decorations on it in her hands like the previous times.
"To arrive this late, you two are definitely not a good role model for others," remarked Maki before resuming her staring battle with Kurumi.
Lazily, Yuuta walked towards one of the chairs and slumped down, not saying anything to the girls. Shuuya also did the same albeit he sat more politely and smiled when Yuuri placed the bowl of rice in front of him. As he began eating, Touko and Aki stumbled into the room.
"Yuuta!" Shouted Aki as she trudged forward and held Yuuta by the collar of his shirt, shaking him vehemently. "Why didn't you tell us earlier, that your dad was the one who killed the entire world?!" Well, so much for being subtle.
Opening his eyes, the heir of the Kiriha bloodline yawned before answering. "While I did say to come to me if you want to talk, I didn't expect it to be this early. Can't you let me sleep for a while first?"
"No. Not until you explain everything you know to us, thoroughly," Aki glared at him. "And everyone has to hear it."
"Wait, Aki-san, Yuu-kun. What's going on?" Yuki queried worriedly as she neared the two. "What are you two fighting about?"
Touko adjusted her glasses and answered for Aki's behalf. "Yuki, did you and the others know that Yuuta's father is responsible for releasing the biological weapon that destroyed much of humanity?"
"Yeah, of course, we do," Kurumi leant on her chair boringly. "Didn't we say we all went to Randall Corporation before coming here?"
"O-Oh, so you knew," Touko seemed a little surprised at the reply.
"Wait… Yuuta-san's dad… as in, Kenji-san?" Uttered Ryuuko, her face pure shock. "He… he's the one who…"
"You stupid brother of Ruiko!" Maki slammed her hand to the table. "Why didn't you tell this information to us?!"
"Ryuuko-chan, Maki-chan, calm down a little," Yuuri tried to placate the two youngsters. "We didn't mean to not tell you about it, we just forgot. Shuuya-kun, please tell them to-" turning around, she saw Shuuya's hands trembling as he tried to grip the rice with the chopstick.
"K-Kiriha… K-Kiriha… K-Kiriha…" the male redhead muttered with a shaky voice.
The chaotic scene continued with Aki and Maki shouting at a sleepy Yuuta, Yuki and Kurumi trying to separate them from the guy, Touko comforting a trembling Ryuuko and Yuuri similarly doing the same for Shuuya. That is, until a certain person grew annoyed with the situation and decided to put an end to it.
"ENOUGH!" Miki stood up as she slammed her book on the table, likely damaging it. "Yes, we know about the fact that Yuuta-senpai's dad was the one who initiated the chaos of this current world, and we've gotten over it. Just like what Ri-san said, we didn't mean keep it a secret from you all but we truly did forgot to mention the information, what's with trying to adapt to a new life and all. And I'm sure Yuuta-senpai will tell you everything he knows, if you all would just keep quiet for a minute!" Breathing hardly, she sat back in her seat when the others stared shockingly at her. Embarrassed for a bit, Miki his her face behind her book. "Sorry…"
"Aaahh~" surprisingly, Yuuta was the one who broke the silence. "I'll be in the room next door if anyone wants to find me." After he said that, the blue-eyes boy walked out of the room… before coming back immediately not a second later. "Also, if you want to talk to me, wait until I'm finished eating," remarked him before exiting the room, this time with a bowl of rice in one hand.
A few seconds pass by after Yuuta left the room and everyone was in silence… until Aki decided to speak up. "Well, I don't know about you guys but I'm definitely going after him for a good explanation."
"That is the better course of action it seems," commented Touko. "But like Yuuta said, let's get some food first before we hear him talk. We haven't eaten anything yet after all."
"Yes… let's," the taller woman agreed.
"Well, I don't have any obligations not of hearing his reasoning now, so I'm going after him right this moment," Maki spoke loudly. She then grabbed her friend's arm and dragged her outside the room. "Come on, Ryuuko. We're hearing the whole story from him whether he want to or not."
Understandably, the redhead girl protested a bit at her friend's insistence. "Maki-chan, wait! You don't have to pull me so hard!" Sadly for her, her words fell on deaf ears.
For Shuuya, the only guy in the room, he just kept quiet and resumed eating his food albeit calmer now that Yuuta's not in the room and Yuuri's presence calming him down. However, once he finished the meal, he quickly(but politely) strode out of the dining room following in the Touko's and Aki's steps who finished their breakfast earlier than him. This leaves only Yuki, Kurumi, Yuuri and Miki relaxing in the room.
"Do you think Yuuta's going to be alright?" Kurumi finally decided to start a conversation with the other members. "The others seem really pissed at him."
Yuuri paused from her dishwashing and turned around. "I'm not sure about them, but I do believe Yuuta-kun will explain what they wanted to know clearly to them and everything will be fine in the end."
"Yeah, because Yuuta's such a good explainer, right?" Remarked Kurumi sarcastically.
"I'm a little worried about Yuu-kun though," spoke Yuki. "Just a little bit."
"That's obvious enough. You've been squirming in your seat for a while now, senpai," Miki commented, her eyes still fixed on the pages.
Suddenly, Yuki brought her hands to the table. "Ne ne, why don't we do something fun today? You know, like we previously did at school?"
The other three girls looked at her inquisitively at the proposal. "What do you suggest we do, Yuki-chan?" Asked Yuuri.
"Hmm… why don't we," Yuki folded her arms as she tried to come up with a good idea. Then, it came to her. "Aha! Let's have an athletic meet in the courtyard."
"Athletic meet? Ya mean like the sports day we had before when Miki first joined?" Kurumi questioned.
Yuki nodded. "Yeah yeah, like that! But this time we're playing outside instead of inside the building. You know, being out in the sun and all."
"That's a great idea, Yuki-chan," Yuuri clapped her hands delightfully. "However, we should ask someone first whether it really is safe going out of the building."
"Who should we ask for that?" Miki wondered aloud.
Just then, a person peered into the dining room. Her black hair framing her face, she said with a low voice. "Umm… is Touko and Aki… here?"
"Ah, Hika-san!" Exclaimed Yuki, surprising the woman a bit. "It's good that you're here! Come on in!" She then dragged her into the room.
"Do you want anything to eat. Hika-san?" Yuuri inquired in which Hika slowly shook her head. "Perhaps you would like a drink?"
"… Yes, please," the woman replied. Shifting uncomfortably in her chair, she looked at the other members staring at her. "…What is it?"
Miki closed her book and decided to answer her question, more to save her from Yuki's and Kurumi's loud voice. "Yuki-senpai suggested that we have an athletic meet today at the sports grounds, but we don't know whether it is safe to go there or not."
"Ohh…" Hika nodded in understanding. Then, she rises from her seat and went towards a whiteboard on one side of the room. Picking a marker pen, she began to draw what looks like a simple map of the building and its surroundings.
Finishing, she faced her audiences… and took a deep breath before speaking. "…This is what our school… is like…" she pointed at the arrow showing the direction of the school gate. "The wall is high… and we always check the barricade… so, they will not come from outside,"
"Then, inside the school is safe?" Miki raised her hands.
Hika nodded, then took the marker pen and crossed out two buildings, one labelled 'C' for Chemistry Room and another smaller one between the Chemistry Room and the shared grounds of the A building(for The Crew and Campus-Life Club) and B building(for the Melee Fight Crew). "… Don't go to these place. They're… dangerous."
"What's over there?" Asked Kurumi.
"We haven't… cleaned the Chemistry Room. Only blocked the exit. As for the other one…" she paused a bit before answering. "They're graves…" The four girls silenced at hearing that. "Well… don't go there."
After finishing her explanation, Hika sat and drank a cup of coffee that Yuuri made. She left afterwards, saying she had some things to do. This, again, left Yuki, Kurumi, Miki and Yuuri by themselves in the dining room.
Of course, this time they're not entirely silent.
"Do you think we can set some obstacles for a hurdle run?" Kurumi inquired.
"Maybe we can. There's bound to be some equipment we can use in the sports shed," replied Yuuri.
"How about a tug of war? Can we play that?" Yuki asked excitedly
"There are only two guys here and the rest are girls, so I don't think it's possible," Miki gave her opinion. "And Yuuta-senpai doesn't seem to be that strong compared to Shuuya-senpai."
"That's certainly true. Shuuya-kun does have a quite, apparent, muscular body," Yuuri supported the idea.
"Wah! Mii-kun, Ri-san. That's blasphemy!" Shouted Yuki dramatically. "We all know that Yuu-kun is the best around here."
"Wait, how did you know that word?" Kurumi remarked on Yuki sudden usage of an uncommon word.
"Oho~ do you wanna bet, Yuki-chan?" Yuuri looked at her pink haired friend with closed eyes. As the two glared at each other, the figure of a brown bear and a pink cat appeared in the background with lightning flashing between them.
Away from the two, Miki and Kurumi continued planning for the day's event while their two friends stared at each other with comedic tension.
"I'm tired."
Walking along the hallway with my sword by my side, I let out another sigh.
"I'm sleepy."
Trusting my instincts to guide me, I closed my eyes and took a breath that turned into a wide yawn.
"What a day."
As my feet moved me forward, I rewind back towards what happened an hour ago. After I grabbed my breakfast and went into the room next door, Maki and Ryuuko quickly entered before I could even take a bite. I could clearly tell that she was a little angry at me(yes, that is an understatement) while Ryuuko looked uncertain on how to act in front of me. For starters, I told them to sit as I finished the bowl of rice in record time(Yuki's behaviour must've been rubbing on me) which displeased the two little girls. After that, I began my tale, starting from the first day it all happened.
Of course, I omitted the part where I got humiliated by a round, spherical object and the part where I slept through most of the school(they don't need to know more about my laziness) and cut straight to when I woke up in my room. When I mentioned the fact that I was the one who stroke down Ruiko, Maki broke down in tears while Ryuuko unexpectedly surged forward and yelled at me through tearful eyes. I said nothing and let her shout at me all she want until the two calmed down. They deserve to know what happened and I deserve every bit of their hatred if they want. Actually, I'm also surprised that Touko and Aki, and later Shuuya made no mention of the loud noise. The rooms must've been soundproofed to an extent.
Anyway, as I was saying, after Maki and Ryuuko were no longer feeling bawling their eyes out, the two members of The Crew joined us and I resumed my story. Describing loosely about my travels during the time I was outside, Shuuya came in just as I mentioned how I met the girls(not including the embarrassing things that happened. Fast firwardsing the tale, I gave a brief summary of what happened in the school; have fun with the girls, teach Miki to wield a sword, telling Shuuya that Yuki's the girl he once mentioned, undeads invaded the school building, the equipment being destroyed, me getting infected, Yuki turning me(or at least my soul) back to normal, undead left the school due to Power of Friendship (I've always wanted to say that), and finally confessing to Yuki. I know the last part was kinda unnecessary but the look in Ryuuko's eyes told me it was necessary.
Then, came the next part about how we ventured into the world outside, encountering a little too late a fellow survivor who was turned into them not long before we arrived. Next came the most controversial part, namely when I and the girls went to Randall Corporation and met my father. Telling them the tale of my ancestors, they gasped in amazement at several parts of the legend… until I spoke of my father's revelation and his motive. Understandably Ryuuko becomes enraged again along with Aki while Shuuya adopted a thinking pose. When I told them my reaction to the exposition, Touko and Aki were impressed while Maki scolded me for being impulsive. After that part was over, I continued with how I met Shuuya, Ryuuko and Maki, largely to complete the tale of how we came here.
Thinking back, it's like I'm doing a recap of my own story. Perhaps I should write a book about this.
Finally, having finished telling them everything, I excused myself from the room to get to my room for some hard-earned sleep. And that's where I'm currently heading right now.
"Ah, Yuu-kun! Hurry up!"
But for some reason or another, I was ambushed by Yuki on my way there and she began to literally drag me by the hand towards who knows where. Furthermore, due to me still being sleepy, I couldn't muster enough energy to argue with her and just relented(well, that's not true. I still have much energy but arguing with her seems wrong to me) towards her whims.
Following her lead, we walked through the corridors until we reached the building's entrance. Stepping outside, Yuki still didn't let go of my hand and kept pulling me for some more until we arrived at a field, a sport's field to be exact. There, I saw that the other members, namely Kurumi, Miki, Yuuri and the rest were already there, including a woman who I haven't seen before but presumed to be the Rise person that Ryuuko mentioned yesterday during dinner. She looked as if she rather be anywhere else but here at the moment, not unlike me.
Releasing my hand as we joined our friends chattering, Yuki went to the front of the group and clapped to get everyone's attention. The others turned to her and, deciding to at least hear her idea on dragging me all the way outside, I remained at my position.
"Okay, everyone!" Exclaimed Yuki. "May I have your attention, please!" They were already looking at her so the line was not really necessary. "Welcome to our athletic meet!" I'm not actually surprised at the reveal, mainly because I've seen out of the corner of my eyes several sports equipment arranged on the field and around it. However, I knew for a fact that I would become very tired at the end of this day. I could tell that some of the others are also showing slight signs of protest. "Me, Ri-san, Kurumi-chan and Mii-kun had planned and prepared the settings for this event." ("You don't actually do anything much, Yuki-senpai," said Miki before Kurumi elbowed her. "Just let her be for today.") "We've worked really hard so that all of us can take part in whatever event that we wanted. Make sure you all join at least one event, okay?" Smiling brightly as she did so, I felt as if all my fatigue from the day and before vanished(which is, of course, only my imagination) and made me smile back at her, proud and relieved that she still kept some brightness in her mindset. "So, on that note, let's all have fun for today! OOO!"
"OOO!" Everyone else replied her cheer, albeit with carrying degrees of enthusiasm. With that said, the joint athletic meet between the Campus-Life Club and The Crew began.
Walking to the table where the list of events was placed, I passed by Yuki who's, for some reason, eating a piece of banana while talking with Ryuuko. When I arrived, Ri-san offered me a cup of coffee since she knew how tired I am. Truth be told, I'm not actually fond of drinking the mixture, but I figured to just roll with it to keep her happy.
Now feeling significantly more awake than before, I head towards the first event of my choice, which is a 100-meter sprint… against Shuuya and Kurumi. Instantly, my enthusiasm(which wasn't many, to begin with) dropped below zero and I considered stepping out of this race since my chance of winning is as good as none. However, like before, Yuki thwarted that plan and pushed me to the starting line. Is this her revenge for me pushing her out of my room yesterday?
"Come on, Yuu-kun! I know you can do it!" Yuki cheered encouragingly from the sidelines.
"Shuuya-kun! Make sure you don't lose!" Came Yuuri's voice from beside Yuki. Immediately, they stared at each other menacingly.
"Yo, Kurumi! Show me what you're made of!" Touko voiced her support of the other contestant along with Aki next to her.
As I took on the readying position at the starting line and waiting for the starting whistle to be blown by Miki, I couldn't help but think.
'Maybe this day is not so bad after all.'