Amidst a chorus of audible groans—the crowd was not happy about the interruption—the referee finally announced the start of the volleyball match.
"Who do you think will win?" Toyosaki asked.
Sakurai Saki replied perfunctorily, eyes on the court. "Based on skill? Probably Hayasaka-san's side."
On the court, Fujiwara Chika's team prepared to serve. The ball rose into the air, and then—
Thwack!
A blistering serve slammed into the back row's position five. (For reference: in volleyball rotation, position one serves, position four is outside hitter, three is setter, two is opposite. Back row can't cross into front row. Not that anyone was paying attention to formations right now.)
A dozen seconds later.
Toyosaki noticed Sakurai Saki's expression. "Hmm? What's wrong?"
"The ball actually caught fire." Sakurai Saki's tone was thoughtful. "That's... eye-opening."
Fujiwara Chika had just spiked a ball wreathed in flames. He could even see scorch marks on the gymnasium floor.
Superpowered volleyball. Of course.
"Why are you being so chuunibyou today?" Toyosaki frowned. "Though, that was a really fast spike."
Class 2-B scored. The referee flipped a page on the scoreboard—this match would be a single set, first to fifteen points.
"Chika-chan!!! Go get 'em!!"
"Hayasaka-san!!! You can do it!!"
The crowd erupted, split roughly down the middle.
Then a different voice rang out—
"Shinomiya-san!!! GO FOR IT!!"
Silence. For exactly three seconds.
Then, renewed chaos—
"SHINOMIYA-SAN!! GO FOR IT!!" xN
Sakurai Saki watched the crowd's sudden pivot with mild disdain. They were here for the drama, not the sport. What did Shinomiya Kaguya have to do with this rivalry?
Wait, this is a class versus class match?
He glanced around at the gleefully bloodthirsty onlookers.
No. No, it really isn't. Not anymore.
Twenty minutes later, after multiple exhausting rallies, the score read 13-12. Most of the girls on court were panting heavily, bent over with hands on knees.
Except for two.
Hayasaka Ai and Fujiwara Chika stood upright, facing each other across the net.
"Ai-chan, you're not tired?" Chika called out, voice slightly strained despite her posture. "That last save was really difficult."
It's all your fault we're in this mess! Hayasaka Ai's internal monologue was considerably less composed than her external appearance. Outwardly, she beamed. "Not tired at all! Volleyball with you is so much fun, Chika-chan—I don't feel tired in the slightest~"
"What about you?"
"Same here!"
Complete lies.
Both were utterly exhausted. Their stamina had been inexplicably excellent today—the Attribute System at work, no doubt—so they'd been going all out, trading spikes like their relationship depended on it. Now they were running on fumes and sheer stubbornness.
But they could still hold on.
This battlefield belonged to them alone.
The ball rocketed between them like a ping-pong ball, far faster than any normal high school girls' volleyball match. Several other players had started keeping their distance—getting hit in the head with one of those spikes meant a one-way trip to the infirmary.
Another serve.
Another rally.
Another impossible spike returned by an equally impossible dig.
Then—a mistake. Chika's block missed by inches, and the ball curved viciously, shooting into the crowd of onlookers.
Thud.
A male student collapsed instantly, clutching his lower body, face twisted in agony. His pain was visible to the naked eye.
Every boy in the vicinity winced in sympathetic horror.
"Hiiisssss~"
Several students helped the victim limp away. The remaining crowd instinctively took several steps back from the court.
The match continued.
The score crept upward. 13-14. Match point for Hayasaka Ai's team.
"It's the last point," Sakurai Saki murmured.
Toyosaki nodded. "If Fujiwara wins this, we go to deuce."
At 14-14, they'd need a two-point lead to win—first to sixteen. But things didn't unfold that way.
Hayasaka Ai and Shinomiya Kaguya's combination was formidable. After trailing by three, they'd fought back point by point. Now victory was within reach.
The crowd erupted again.
"SHINOMIYA-SAN!! SHINOMIYA-SAN!!!" xN
"You actually called it." Toyosaki sounded impressed.
Sakurai Saki opened his mouth to respond—then stopped.
Fujiwara Chika's condition had shifted. She was leaning heavily on a teammate's shoulder, expression strained, looking moments from collapse.
He didn't move immediately. Instead, his gaze flicked to the other side of the court.
Hayasaka Ai and Shinomiya Kaguya looked fine. Ai had already pulled out her phone.
Sakurai Saki reached for his own.
Line.
A message waited.
Ai-chan: Hehe. I won.
He smiled helplessly and typed a response.
Me: [Orca thumbs up.jpg]
He looked up. Every single person in the gymnasium was staring at him, expressions varying from anticipation to gleeful malice. They were waiting for him to do something. To pick a side. To create more drama.
His phone buzzed again.
Ai-chan: Please take Chika-chan to the infirmary. She looks unwell.
He studied the message. Was this a test? Some kind of trap?
...No. It didn't feel like one.
Without further hesitation, he walked toward Chika. The crowd parted before him like the Red Sea, eyes wide, breaths held.
He reached her side, gently extracted her from her teammate's support, and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Let's go."
Chika looked up at him, eyes glassy with exhaustion but flickering with surprise. "Saki-kun...?"
He guided her toward the gymnasium exit.
Behind them, the crowd's silence shattered into chaos.
The winner of the volleyball match didn't get the prize?!
This is outrageous!
Unfair!
...Wait, does this mean the rumors about Hayasaka and Chika are both true?!
Sakurai Saki didn't look back.
He had a girlfriend to escort to the infirmary, and a very complicated conversation waiting for him afterward.
Shouldn't beauties only belong to the strong?
"What's wrong, Saki-kun?"
Chika looked up, her vision swimming. Sakurai Saki's face kept blurring at the edges.
"I'm taking you to the infirmary." He could feel the heat radiating from her. A cold, probably—the intense exercise had made her sweat, and now she was paying for it.
"But Ai-chan won the match." Her voice was muffled, confused.
"I'm not a prize for your volleyball game." He adjusted his grip, supporting her weight. "Besides, she told me to come."
Chika's already dizzy head spun faster.
Ai-chan... told him to come? Why?
Not far away, Kaguya Shinomiya watched Sakurai Saki guide Chika out of the gymnasium, then turned to Hayasaka Ai.
"Hayasaka." Her voice was carefully neutral. "Why did you voluntarily yield Sakurai-kun?"
She studied her friend's expression. "Is it a feint? Or are you testing whether Sakurai-kun still has feelings for Fujiwara Secretary?"
Those were the only logical explanations. Hayasaka had won. Why complicate things? If she wanted to secure Sakurai-kun, the approach was simple: lock down his heart. And if that failed...
Well. There were always basements.
"Something like that." Hayasaka Ai didn't elaborate.
Her relationship with Sakurai Saki wasn't something Kaguya needed to understand fully. Even if she and Sakurai were dating, things with Chika wouldn't simply end. The most likely outcome was maintaining the status quo—the three of them, orbiting each other.
But Hayasaka had noticed something during the match.
When Sakurai Saki first saw Chika's distressed expression, he hadn't moved immediately. Instead, his eyes had found her. Across the court. Checking her reaction first.
That tiny pause told her everything.
In his heart, she occupied a different level than Fujiwara Chika. Legitimate girlfriend versus... whatever Chika was to him now. Two very different categories, and Sakurai Saki understood the distinction perfectly.
Besides. There was still guilt.
She had only mustered the courage to confess after receiving Chika's encouragement. That fact couldn't be erased, no matter how complicated things became.
"Hayasaka." Kaguya's voice cut through her thoughts. "Fujiwara Secretary hasn't given up."
"I know."
Yesterday's arcade trip proved that. And Chika's pointed comments during the match—she definitely knew about the relationship now.
"Confidence is good." Kaguya tilted her head, studying her. "Overconfidence leads to problems."
"Sakurai-kun is quite excellent." Hayasaka smiled, a private expression. "Good-looking. Quick to catch flaws in others' words. I like that about him."
Kaguya wiped sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, then pulled her ponytail aside, revealing her pale neck. A few glistening drops traced down her cheek, disappearing into her sports uniform collar.
"If you don't hold on tightly," she said quietly, "he'll be taken."
Hayasaka's gaze sharpened slightly.
Taken. By whom, Kaguya-sama?
She studied her master's profile. Kaguya's hostility toward Sakurai Saki had been... decreasing lately. Gradually, almost imperceptibly. But Hayasaka had noticed.
"Kaguya-san." Her voice was light. "What do you think of Sakurai-kun?"
"A bit annoying." A pause. "But he's a good person."
Before Hayasaka could probe further, their teammates swarmed around them.
"We won!!"
"Yay!" Hayasaka let herself be pulled into the celebration, hugging and high-fiving, her questions temporarily postponed.
Infirmary.
Sakurai Saki helped Chika onto one of the resting beds. The room was empty, quiet—a stark contrast to the chaos of the gymnasium.
He turned, preparing to search for cold medicine.
"Saki-kun." Chika's voice stopped him. "I'm all sticky... it's so uncomfortable..."
He located the medicine cabinet, found what he needed, poured a glass of water. Then he grabbed a clean towel, rinsed it under cool water, and returned to sit beside her.
"Take your medicine."
"Feed me~"
She tilted her head, mouth opening slightly. Her face was flushed—from the fever, or something else?
Sakurai Saki placed the pills against her lips. Chika took them—and his finger—into her mouth, held them both for a moment, then slowly released.
"Ah" She opened her mouth again, displaying her moist oral cavity. Her voice dropped, becoming something lower, something intentionally alluring. "Saki-kun's stuff... I swallowed it all"
Sakurai Saki stared at her.
...Sick Chika is very, very strange.
He cleared his throat. "Drink some water."
She pouted but accepted the glass, sipping obediently. Then she leaned against him, forehead pressing into his shoulder.
"I'm tired."
"I know."
"And dizzy."
"I know."
"Saki-kun."
"What?"
"I'm glad you came."
He didn't respond immediately. His hand found the damp towel, and he gently pressed it to her forehead.
"Rest."
"Mm."
Her eyes drifted closed. Within moments, her breathing evened out.
Sakurai Saki sat there, one hand holding the towel to her forehead, the other resting awkwardly at his side.
What a mess.
But he didn't move.
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