Later on that day, Mizuki eagerly attended Sano's practice, Yujiro in tow. The minutes had seeped by in a blur of colors and images – Sano clearing the pole at its highest setting. Sano as he draped a starchy white towel over his muscled shoulders and tossed the dark strands of hair from his eyes.
He's so cool, and so confident. I wish I could be more like him.
"Ashiya." She looked up to see that he now stood in front of her.
"S-Sano," she sputtered. "Sorry, I wasn't exactly paying attention."
He tweaked her on the nose and motioned for her to stand. "I can see that. Come on, let's go back to the dorms. The competition is tomorrow."
Mizuki's stomach gurgled audibly. "I'm so starved! Can't we stop to get some food first?"
He looked at her as if she'd lost every bit of her senses. If only Nakatsu could hear her talking like that.
"How can you think that way, Ashiya?" he questioned, generally baffled by her ability to consider food on the eve of the school's biggest eating competition. No human could possibly manage to scrape up a win in a contest like that if they ate the night before.
Mizuki rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "Ahaha, I guess you're right. I'd never be able to eat all that pie tomorrow if I ate dinner now." Good thing he thought about that. I don't want to get sick from overeating. She shuddered at the thought.
Then a voice hailed them from down the walkway. "Izumi, Ashiya! There you are." It was Nanba.
"What's wrong?" Mizuki asked as he trotted to meet them with an irritated look on his handsome features.
"You're friend Nakatsu has gone and done something stupid. You two better take responsibility for it. I can't believe this. Our class doesn't have a chance now." He ran a hand through his silken locks in distress.
Mizuki tilted her head in concern and confusion. "What do you mean, Minami? Where's Nakatsu now?"
"The idiot's asleep in his dorm room. Uncle Hokuto had to give him something to knock him out. He wouldn't stop wailing about the pain in his stomach."
Mizuki blinked. I keep forgetting that Doctor Umeda is Nanba's uncle… Then the remark the elder boy had made sunk in. "Oh no. What has he done?"
Sano's face remained impassive. "It wouldn't surprise me if he'd eaten every single one of those pies by himself and gotten sick," he observed coolly.
Mizuki threw him a wondering glance. Hopefully Nakatsu wouldn't do a thing like that right before the contest…
Nanba forced a smile, but it turned into a grimace. "Looks like Mr. High-jump here guessed it," he revealed. "Arrgh! At this rate, our class will come out at the bottom for sure. I had hoped we'd win this year."
"I'm sure we can get someone else to fill in," she suggested, becoming nervous as Nanba's temper seemed to flare at the prospect of one of the other classes surpassing theirs. "What about Noe or Sekime?"
"Sekime's going home to visit his grandmother," Sano offered absently. He had busied himself with petting Yujiro. They ought to just give up now. It's only pie.
Nanba shook his head. "And Noe said he has a cosplay masquerade to attend. Since he makes the costumes, he'll be busy all weekend. I knew it," he stiffened as he seemed to reach a conclusion. "There's no other choice. Sano," he called, and said boy glared up at him from his crouch beside Yujiro.
"Don't even think about it," the younger boy threatened. "I won't fill in for that loud-mouthed braggart."
"It might be fun, Sano, you never know," Mizuki insisted as she tried to hide her excitement. "I hear they have meat pies that aren't sweet at all." Please, please, PLEASE let him say yes!
"No." He gritted his teeth in irritation. Why does she look so disappointed!
Nanba folded his arms across his chest, the picture of the intimidating upperclassman. "Too bad. You don't really have a choice in the matter. He's your friend, so you pick up his slack. I want you both there at the opening ceremonies, do you understand?"
"Y-yes," Mizuki stammered as he stormed off. Opening ceremonies? This is getting ridiculous. "Sano? Are you coming? Let's go back and see how Nakatsu's doing." Then she noticed the mutinous look on his face and shrank back.
"It might be fun," he quoted back to her. "They have meat pies that aren't sweet." How the heck did I let her get me into this?
"Eheh heh, I'm sorry," she apologized, a large sweatdrop forming on the back of her head. "But I really think you could enjoy it if you tried." He's going to hate me for all of eternity.
"What's done is done," he sighed, taking up Yujiro's leash and leading him back toward the building. "I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow."