Hoshino POV:
"Why, I didn't see you there, Hoshino."
Maybe in any other scenario, I would've been able to sweep it under the rug like it was no big deal. However, considering that I was the only reason she didn't fall face-first into the dirt, I couldn't do that this time.
Maybe I could've said something encouraging. Something like "you can rely on us more!" or whatever—but I hated those kinds of lines. You'd think it'd encourage the person to open up, but all it ever did was corner them even more.
Most of all, I wasn't going to tell her to do something that I myself didn't do.
So, I gently set her down until she was sitting on the grass. I sat down next to her.
"So, how does it feel to win this year?"
This was the best I could've come up with. There was no point in asking if she was okay when she obviously wasn't.
Mei pulled both her knees in close and rested her head against them. "Hmm, I think it was really fun! But, it was only fun because we worked together as a class."
I didn't know what to say to that, so I didn't say anything. She didn't seem to mind, either.
All we did was bask in silence, sharing each other's company.
A cool breeze washed over the field, which felt good against my sweaty skin. After a few moments, Mei stood up on her own and reached a hand out to me.
"Well, I think it's time that we headed back."
I grabbed her hand, but didn't use it to pull myself up. It was more out of respect for her gesture than anything.
Once I was up, I let go, and we walked back to the main field. As we did, I noticed that teachers had already begun taking down tents or picking up cones. Sports day was gradually coming to a close.
Once we reached the main field, we all lined up with our class as the principal gave his closing speech. He went on to describe how honoured he was to host the event, announced the results, and thanked everyone who attended. We all gave him one final bow.
After that, we were dismissed. But we still had to help with the cleanup. Some began carrying things back to the gym, others assisted teachers in setting down the tents, while the rest would pick up pieces of trash littered on the ground.
Remi, Luna, Yu, Sora and I grouped up as we started cleaning up.
"Man, I'm so tiredddd," Remi groaned, sitting on a stack of gym mats while the rest of us actually worked.
"What the hell do you have to be tired for? You're not even cleaning!" Yu complained as he did her share.
Remi shrugged. "Well, this is the most I've exercised in a long time. I'm not cut out for this anymore!"
"This is why I said you fell off after middle school," I muttered, thinking no one would notice.
Luna, who was beside me, snorted loudly.
I'm glad at least one person heard that.
Remi snapped her head at Luna and stared at her blankly. "The hell are you laughing at, Luna?"
Luna quickly threw her hands up in surrender. "Oh, nothing, I just thought of something funny, that's all."
Remi's gaze narrowed. "Oh yeah? Care to share with the class?"
Damn, can you just leave a girl alone? I thought, not wanting to be the next target of her mind-numbing lectures.
Luna scratched her cheek. "Well, you know…" Her voice trailed off until she snapped her fingers with a flash of realization. "Didn't we make that bet that whoever loses the sports festival has to confess to their crush?"
Remi, Luna, and I all turned toward Sora and Yu. The blood drained from their faces.
A smug grin curled my lips.
Sorry bro, but you asked for it.
"So, which one of you is going first?"
Even though it was an open question, I kept my gaze fixed on Yu. Everyone else, including Sora, turned to him.
He flinched, frantically turning to each of us. "Y-you guys can't be expecting me to say it now… right?"
Luna scoffed. "If you're not going to do it now, when are you?"
Yu swallowed hard, enough for us to hear.
Remi leaned in closer to him, nudging him with her elbow. "C'mon, Yu~ What's there to be so scared of? Unless…" She slammed her hand on the cone Yu was carrying in her place. "Unless it's one of us here!"
Luna gasped and covered her mouth. "Is it Remi?! Wait… could it be me?!"
Yu's face took on a bright shade of red. "N-no! It isn't!" The items in his hands dropped as he desperately waved them off.
"Then prove it," I said flatly.
Yu blinked, visibly confused. "...What?"
I took a step closer. "All you have to do to prove yourself is just tell us. If you don't, we are going to assume it's either Remi or Luna."
"...Fine," Yu said through gritted teeth.
Yu took a deep breath, then mumbled, "...Her name is Kyara."
A blank silence hung between us for a moment as we processed her name. Then, at the same time, we all turned to each other with the same look.
"""""...Who?"""""
Taking on the burden on her own, Remi broke the silence by carefully clearing her throat. "Uh, I don't mean to be rude, but who's that?"
Yu rubbed the back of his neck, his ears bright red. "She's… someone I met playing basketball at the park. We've met up from time to time to run a few games. But one day I asked for her number, and now we even talk occasionally."
It was a surprisingly simple and pure answer— which was very much like him. I guess feelings could sprout from even the smallest moments.
Suddenly, a high-pitched squeal rang in my ears. Luna and Remi were staring at him with round, glistening eyes.
Remi gave him supportive pats on the back. Luna ran up to him and ruffled his hair. He buried his face in his hands in embarrassment.
"Awwwww, you're so pure, Yu!" Remi squealed.
"Oh, shut up," Yu groaned.
This moment is nice and all, but I feel like we are forgetting something very important.
"So uh, what about Sora?" I interrupted.
Everyone froze, then slowly turned to him.
Even under the combined pressure of our gaze, Sora simply shrugged. "I don't like anyone."
Yu quickly dashed toward him and grabbed him by the shoulders. "You're lying! You have to like someone! We all agreed to the deal!"
Sora tilted his head. "I mean, before we made the deal, Luna said that she didn't like anyone, but we still did it anyway."
I couldn't help but nod. He was right. I didn't like anyone, and I knew that Luna didn't either. If anything, Yu was the only one who had anything to lose in this bet.
Yu slumped to the ground, his head hung low.
I sighed, then glanced at Sora. "Well, it's fine if you don't like anyone. But how about you tell us who you would date if you had to choose? It can be anyone in the school."
Yu's head perked up with hope once again. "Yes! Tell us!"
He shrugged again, then looked at Luna. "It'd probably be you then."
Everyone went silent. Yu and Remi both had their mouths hanging open. I covered my mouth in shock. And Luna… smiled. It probably wasn't because she had feelings for him; she was just flattered.
"A-are you being serious?" she stuttered.
"Yeah? If I had to choose."
My brow twitched. Wait… there's an insane misunderstanding going on.
Luna took a step closer, but before she could speak, I pinched her on the side of her stomach.
She jumped back. "Ahhh! What are you doing?!"
"Don't get the wrong idea," I said bluntly. "The question was if he had to choose, not that he actually likes you."
Sora nodded. "Yeah, that was the question. I don't have any romantic feelings for you, but if I had to choose, I'd choose you. You're chill to be around. That's all."
I couldn't help but let out an impressed whistle.
Yeah—I could never admit something like that with a straight face at all.
"Right?!" Luna exclaimed, her eyes wide. "I'm just such a perfect human being! How could no one ever choose to date me? I'm the ideal girlfriend!"
I think the compliments have gotten to her head…
Luna went on a tangent about her many qualities; meanwhile, Sora was subjected to nodding along. Remi and Yu recovered shortly after, and she proceeded to give him tips on how to impress this girl. He listened more attentively than I'd ever seen him.
From far across the field, I saw Mei struggling to take down a tent on her own. I glanced back at the group, who were still in their own individual conversations, then snuck away.
I approached Mei from behind before calling out, "It looks like you need a little help."
She turned around, slightly startled. Seeing that it was me, she relaxed a bit and let out a smile.
"If it isn't too much of a bother, then I'd greatly appreciate it."
We took down the tent in silence, with the only sound between us being the soft rustling of the fabric. There was nothing to say. We were both tired, so I wasn't going to force a conversation.
Even though we were helping each other out, we never really got too close to each other. She did her own thing, and I did mine.
When we finished, she gave me a quick thanks before walking away. I returned to my friends. They were still in their own little worlds—unaware that I had even left. We continued cleaning until we finished.
After a long day, sports day had officially ended. It was time to go home.