Komuro Yota took off his shirt, dripping with sweat.
The basketball rolled by his feet as cool water splashed against the Boy's face; he closed his eyes, letting the stream soak his hair and neck.
The afternoon Sun shone down on the Boys in their prime; at this age, even the harsh sunlight was much kinder to them.
"Yota! We won by a huge margin today!"
"Is your ankle okay?"
A few Boys were doing the same thing, wiping their bodies with towels. They were all panting after the intense match.
Komuro Yota took a deep breath, opened an ice-cold soda, and gulped it down under the scorching Sun.
"Hey, isn't that the girl from the second year?"
A friend beside him smirked, subtly pointing at a passing girl. "Nice legs."
"What? Is that all you notice, Yoshiaki?"
"That's Kasumigaoka, right? Tsk, one of the Big Three beauties."
"Who even came up with that ranking? Though it is quite accurate..."
"Yota loves this ranking to death."
Komuro Yota nudged his friend with his elbow. "Bastard, I never said that. I just think Sanka is cute."
"Mori no Sanka, huh..."
"I heard she's performing at the school festival this time. Let's go see it, let's go!"
Of course.
Komuro Yota nodded longingly. Compared to the popular 'Pure Maiden' Sawamura and that second-year senior, he had an inexplicable fondness for Sen Getsusa.
Yoshiaki sprawled out on a bench to let his sweat evaporate, teasingly saying, "You only like Sen Getsusa because you like basketball, Yota."
"What does that have to do with basketball?"
The Boys were puzzled.
Yoshiaki suddenly sat up, winking. "Because—"
Smack.
Komuro Yota expressionlessly gave the other a shove, then turned his head, his eyes suddenly narrowing.
A figure was standing not far away.
With light pink hair like cherry blossoms, resembling a girl's faint blush, her curved eyes smiled as she looked over, seemingly having watched them for a while.
She held a small backpack in her hand, and beneath her straight legs were a pair of white high heels with gold-lined wide silk ribbons.
Click, click, click.
As the woman approached, the Boys fell silent, as if their unruly spirits had been blown away by this shower of pink cherry blossoms.
Some lowered their heads to fiddle with water bottles, others pretended to look at the sky and strike a pose.
Yota stood stiffly by the sink, unsure where to wipe with his towel... "Excuse me...?" The woman's voice had a pure femininity to it—different from girls their age whose voices were full of liveliness or vitality, some arrogant, some quiet.
This woman was different.
Her voice held a femininity that had almost condensed into dew; using any other adjective to describe her would be an insult.
She was a woman who radiated charm at every moment, constantly attracting males.
Yota looked around; his friends, who had been dominating the court just moments ago, were all looking down in silence, avoiding his gaze.
Left with no choice, Komuro Yota coughed a few times and pointed to himself. "Me?"
"Heehee, of course." The woman smiled with narrowed eyes. "I'm the new teacher. Could you tell me where the Dean's Office is?"
"I'm so hungry, Yoshiaki, let's go buy some snacks."
The Boys, being very perceptive (cowards), abandoned Komuro Yota and quickly left the scene with their arms around each other's shoulders.
Only the smiling woman and Komuro Yota remained by the sink.
"Student, are you free?"
Komuro Yota was facing the Sun, and the woman's backlit face was hidden in shadow; he seemed to hear the sound of an insect's wings vibrating.
"Student?"
"Oh, oh! No problem, I'm Komuro Yota!" The Boy tensed up stiffly as the fragrance from the woman wafted over in waves, entering his nostrils.
"Let's go, little Boy~" Her sweet, cloying voice pressed against Komuro Yota's heart, turning into a small hand that scratched him, making his whole body itch.
As they walked into the building side by side, the woman quietly drew closer, and that scent grew even stronger.
"I haven't asked for your name yet..."
"Minagawa Akane." The woman's red lips parted slightly, her eyelashes brushing against the Boy's reddened cheek and neck. "I'll be your music teacher from now on. Please—take—care—of—me~"
...[Kasumiko: I see. Miss Tsukihime's views align with mine.]
[Tsukihime: Hmm, I still think Kasumiko is a very innocent person. Although many writers don't necessarily need to experience things personally to write good works, when it comes to feelings...]
[Tsukihime: It wouldn't hurt to experience them a little, right?]
Eriri was buried in writing her plans, glancing at Sen Getsusa who was busy chatting on her phone. "Are you busy today? Did you make a new friend?"
[Kasumiko: I'll consider it if I have the chance.]
Sen Getsusa locked her screen. "A writer I just met. What is Miss Sparkle doing?"
The girl tugged at her ponytail, turning her face away uncomfortably. "I told you not to call me that..."
Unrolling the paper, the other's chart was packed with dense plans. "I joined the art club recently... and there's an off-campus doujin circle. There's so much to do every day, I'm going to explode!"
You should care more about your grades... Eriri.
"Well, don't I have Tsukisa?" Eriri said unhurriedly as she wrote. "When the time comes, you'll tutor me again, right?"
"So you've latched onto me, huh." Sen Getsusa teased half-jokingly. "I've noticed that lately, Tomiya always finds reasons to talk to you."
Eriri's pen tip paused.
"He..." The girl's expression was complex. She quietly shifted her gaze, her tone slightly unnatural. "Tsukisa, what do you think of Tomiya?"
Me?
Sen Getsusa blinked.
"A good friend."
"That's it?"
"What else?" Sen Getsusa was puzzled. "It's clearly between you and Tomiya. Does my opinion matter?"
"Between me and Tomiya?" Now it was Eriri's turn to be confused.
"Isn't it? The plot of two bickering rivals like you finally ending up together is so common in anime." Sen Getsusa leaned forward, her expression suggestive. "Or is it that Eriri still hasn't made up her mind?"
"Be careful not to let someone else snatch him away."
"Although I think the probability of that happening is low."
Eriri pushed Sen Getsusa away!
"Too, too close!"
Sen Getsusa tilted her head. "Eh?"
"Um, there's a banquet at my house recently. C-come with me!" After saying that, the girl quickly picked up her pen and buried her head in her writing again, though the pen tip drawing endless circles and her slightly trembling eyelashes proved the turmoil in her heart.
"A banquet..." Sen Getsusa didn't really want to go.
"I just thought you were bored. I'm not forcing you! If you don't want to come, then forget it!"
Sen Getsusa chuckled. "It's not that I'm bored. OK, no problem, since it's an invitation from Eriri."
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