A/N: Not mine.
Naoki silently moved to stand beside Kotoko. "Please tell me that's not what it looks like," he murmured.
"If you're thinking that it looks like your mother is bound and determined to embarrass us, then I'm afraid that it is."
"Just when I think she can't get any worse…" he grumbled.
"She may be trying to get back for never seeing you on the weekends," she teased, digging an elbow into his side.
He snorted. "And you're the one who told her the date while I was gone."
"At least you didn't have to be there to listen to her complain all during that time. And be fair, she could have just called the school and found out."
"Point to you. Still, you could have tagged along with me. I'm sure Coach wouldn't mind as long as Doofus didn't show up trailing you."
"Hah! If I had done that to get in shape I could've stopped Kin-chan's nagging about it. Can you believe he wrote up an exercise plan and tried to make me work out with him?"
"The guy is beginning to sound like a stalker."
"Beginning? I'm afraid he crossed that line long ago."
"Onii-chan! Onee-chan!" A childish treble called across the way.
"Yuuki-kun knew about this, didn't he?" she growled.
"And didn't tell us," Naoki stated pithily. "It looks like the only one missing is your father."
"Nope," she countered, "he's bent down pulling out the camera equipment."
"And there's no way to deny that we know them, with those enlarged photos of us over their reserved viewing area."
"Especially when she has them framed with little hearts and flowers."
"Well, between my mother and your father, we at least should have plenty to snack on."
"Wow, Kotoko," Jinko gushed, "you didn't tell us that your entire household was going to show up."
"Like I knew," she snapped back pettishly. "Naoki-kun, hand me that schedule."
"Sure." He gave it to her absently. "I already have it memorized."
"Super-brain," Kotoko griped, not too quietly. "I don't have any events until afternoon."
"Scavenger hunt and mixed relay, right?" he inquired.
"Yeah," she pouted, "I just know I'll get some stupid task. I really wanted the bread eating race, but that stinker Jinko beat me to it."
"Hey, the way you're saying that is like I'm greedy or something," the girl protested.
Satomi waved a hand towards the girl digging through the cooler. "If the shoe fits… Irie-kun, what events are you in?"
"Male hundred meter, plus mixed relay."
Jinko exclaimed, "You and Kotoko are both in that!"
Kotoko wrinkled her nose to express her dissatisfaction at so much exertion, and Satomi asked,
"You run, Irie-kun?"
"I play tennis," he reminded her wryly. "A match is pretty much at least an hour of constant running, which is likely why I was tagged for the hundred meter as well."
"Kin-chan's in that too," Jinko said around a mouthful of sushi. "Small world, huh?"
"Somehow I think it's not that small. It wouldn't surprise me if he did this deliberately. For whatever bone-headed reason," he added with disgust.
"You may be right," Satomi agreed with him. "I remember that he did some rearranging of assignments the day after we first discussed them."
"Probably picked the lock on the classroom door to check what Class A was doing," Kotoko sniped.
"Yeah," Jinko nodded, "he's had it in his head since first year that Irie-kun was his competition, even if his mind was all muddled about that."
"What's that?" Naoki turned to her just as the Principal called the crowd to order on the bullhorn.
After the first couple minutes of trash talk from the Class F loudmouth, Naoki did his best to ignore him as he continued his stretching exercises. The incessant chatter in his vicinity kept his mind from pondering that strange line from Jinko.
He rolled his shoulders in a fluid motion and got into position once the referee gave them the signal. His long legs allowed his stride to take the lead as he fell into an easy gait. A familiar raucous voice was soon heard slightly behind and to his left. "Ya bastard Irie," Kinnosuke huffed, "ain't gonna let you outshine me in front of Kotoko!" One brief jog and their bodies collided, although the one who instigated the contact kept his balance and burst ahead to break the ribbon. He then began to leap around, pointing both fingers at Naoki while singing, "Nananana, nananana, hey, hey, goodbye!"
The other boy, who finished second despite having to roll to his feet after falling to the cinders, wiped his face with a towel and calmly walked to the tent under which sat the festival organizers. A short conversation later, he made his way to the Irie-Aihara abomination and lowered himself to the ground.
Kotoko handed him a bottle of water, her face concerned. "Are you hurt?" she asked. "I saw you fall but you jumped right back up."
"Just a few scrapes," he replied with a slight smile which faded as his gaze focused on a figure across the track. "No thanks to your would-be Romeo."
"Kin-chan shoved you?" she gasped.
"Yeah," her two friends flopped down beside them, "Jinko and I had a good view of it."
"I can't believe he'd be stupid enough to try that in front of everyone," the shorter girl added. "But they still announced him as the winner."
"Maybe not for long." Naoki's smile returned and spread to a smirk as two teachers approached the Kansan. Soon they witnessed much shouting and waving of arms before the boy glared at them all and gave an obscene hand gesture.
"Well, I never!" Mrs. Irie stood behind them. "What a crude and crass jeune homme. In my day, he would have been caned."
"No more corporal punishments, Ma." Naoki took a swig of water before leaning back and placing his head in a surprised Kotoko's lap. He tugged on one braided pigtail. "But I think the agony he's going through right now is even more painful."
Satomi almost snorted juice out her nose. "You devil, Irie-kun! He's turning purple."
Kotoko recovered enough to issue a prim statement. "Well, he shouldn't have been a bully."
"Hey, Onii-chan." Yuuki tugged on Naoki's sleeve. "What kind of race is this?"
He chuckled. "It's a scavenger hunt. Each envelope has a description of what the person has to find. They have to locate it, then make it to the judges' circle on the far end of the field."
"So they don't know what it is before they pick it?"
"No, that would invalidate it as a fair contest."
"Then who does know?" the boy asked.
"The organizers," Satomi spoke up. "Each class had input, but the envelopes are sealed so no one has an advantage."
"If no one knows what the people are supposed to be looking for, then why is the cheater jumping up and down and waving to Onee-chan?"
"Look, Ai-kun!" Mrs. Irie dragged Mr. Aihara to the group of young people. "That young man très impoli thinks that he is what Kotoko should be looking for. Obviously there has been some malfeasance going on."
"Mal-what?" Yuuki asked. "And before she picked it up, he was kind of waving her towards it."
"Do you think he was sending her towards an easy one?" Jinko scratched her head in thought. "Because if so, she sure doesn't look like she's got a clue about her clue."
Kotoko stared at the printing on the paper she had pulled from the envelope and groaned. Kinnosuke had assured her that he had marked the easiest one so that Class F would earn some quick points. That'll teach me to try and take short cuts, she thought as she smacked her forehead before sending a glare towards the boy jumping up and down and brandishing arms wildly. Easy, my Aunt Fanny!
Well, she shrugged, I'll get Otosan then. But when she headed for the Irie-Aihara plot, she saw that he was totally involved with at least two of Mrs. Irie's expensive cameras. Nope, not interfering with that, she decided. And Irie-san is in no shape to hurry–Obasama ought to sign him up for a health club. Naoki-kun has already run one race and has another coming up, plus I'm not sure exactly what I feel for him yet. Ah, Yuuki-kun! Perhaps I can stretch the definition to include him.
T/N: Jeune homme=young man; très impoli=very rude.