The heat near the equipment shed was stifling. The corrugated metal roof, which was supposed to provide shade, seemed to be radiating its own heat downwards, turning the small bench into a convection oven.
Nishimura Mika sat there, legs crossed, frantically fanning herself with a plastic file she had smuggled out of the classroom. Her platinum blonde curls were sticking to her neck, and she could feel the terrifying sensation of her foundation becoming tacky.
"Ugh, seriously," she muttered, glaring at the distant figure of Takumi, who was currently splashing water all over himself like a golden retriever at the faucet. "He kicks up a dust storm and just leaves. What a kid."
She looked down at her arm. A thin layer of red dust had settled on her skin, mixing with the sweat. For her, it was gross and un-cute. It was everything she hated about PE.
"Here."
A voice spoke from above her.
Mika jumped, nearly dropping her file. She looked up to see Kamishiro Renji standing there. He wasn't just standing there looking annoyingly fresh while everyone else was melting.
He held out a blue, condensation-covered gel pack.
"W-What?" Mika stammered, caught off guard.
"It's a cooling pack." Renji said, tossing it gently onto her lap. "I brought two. You can take this one. You look like someone who's about five seconds away from biting another person."
Mika stared at the blue pack. It was freezing cold against her thighs.
"I... I wasn't going to bite anyone." she huffed, though she immediately snatched the pack up. "But thanks. Why do you even have these?"
"Because I'm smart, what else." Renji shrugged, sitting down on the edge of the bench, leaving a respectful distance between them. He pulled a second pack out of his bag and pressed it against his own neck. "And because I knew Takumi would do something stupid like trying to break the sound barrier in thirty-degree weather."
Mika snorted, pressing the cold gel pack against her flushed cheek. "He's such an idiot. Did you see him roll? He looked like a pill bug."
"Don't be too mean. He was trying to impress everyone." Renji chuckled. "Though he mostly just impressed the ground with his face."
Mika laughed. It was a genuine, unguarded laugh proving that the cold pack was working wonders. She sighed, leaning back against the shed wall, letting the pack slide down to her neck.
"Ah~ that feels so good..." she moaned involuntarily, her eyes fluttering shut.
It was a sound that was definitely not appropriate for a schoolyard.
Renji raised an eyebrow, glancing at her. Her neck was arched back, exposing the smooth, tanned line of her throat. A bead of sweat rolled down from her collarbone, disappearing into the cleavage showcased by her slightly loose gym shirt.
'I really love this school's dress code policy.' Renji thought appreciatively.
"Careful with the noises, Nishimura." Renji teased, his tone light. "This is a family-friendly school."
Mika's eyes snapped open. She realized what she sounded like and turned bright red. "Shut up! It's just the heat! Don't get weird ideas, prince!"
"I didn't say anything." Renji held up his hands in mock surrender. "By the way, your makeup held up. Looks like the dust missed your face."
Mika blinked. She instinctively touched her cheek. "Really?"
"Yeah. That gradient on your eyes is still sharp." Renji said, standing up as the coach's whistle blew in the distance. "Would be a shame to ruin hours of work over a little dust."
Mika looked at him, surprised.
"The more you say these, the more I realize that you're... surprisingly observant for a guy." she muttered, clutching the cooling pack. "Is it just because you are a professional model?"
"Well part of it, but more importantly, because I have sisters," Renji lied smoothly, well, half-lied. He had sisters, but all his ideas about makeup-talk came from his past life's galgame obsession. "Come on. The coach is calling for stretches. Unless you want to melt into the bench permanently, you better start moving."
With that, he walked off toward the class.
Mika watched him go. She pressed the cold pack to her chest, feeling a different kind of heat rising in her cheeks.
'He's not as stuck-up as he looked and used to be.' she thought. 'And for a guy, he smells really good.'
[Target: Nishimura Mika]
[Status: Cooled Down / Intrigued]
[Interest: Piqued]
…
"Alright! Pair up! Find a partner for back stretches!" Coach Oni bellowed. "Don't just stand there! Remember, flexibility prevents injury!"
Immediately, the class dissolved into chaos as students scrambled to find their friends.
Renji scanned the crowd. Takumi was still jogging back from the water fountain, shaking his wet hair and shouting something about "refreshing hydration". He was too occupied with… whatever that was.
Renji turned to his left.
Hina was standing there, looking lost. She was hugging her arms again. The problem wasn't finding a partner; plenty of girls would have paired with her. The problem was the jacket.
She was still zipped up to her chin. Her face was beet red and she looked dizzy.
"Hina," Renji said, stepping up to her. "Shall we partner up?"
Hina jumped, looking relieved. "Oh! Renji-kun! Yes, please. Everyone else is already..."
"Sit down." Renji instructed, sitting on the grass. "I'll push first."
Hina hesitated, then sat down in front of him, legs extended. "P-Please be gentle. I'm... not very flexible… Especially today."
"It's just a stretch, Hina. Relax."
Renji placed his hands on her back.
Through the thick fabric of the track jacket, he could feel the heat radiating off her body. It was like touching a radiator. She was trembling slightly.
"Deep breath in." Renji commanded.
Hina inhaled.
"And exhale while reaching for your toes."
He pushed forward gently.
"Nguuh...!" Hina let out a strained, muffled sound. She leaned forward, but she barely moved a few inches.
The problem was obvious. The jacket was too tight. When she leaned forward, the fabric compressed her chest, making it hard for her to breathe, let alone stretch. Plus, she was terrified that if she bent too far, the zipper would burst, or the movement would emphasize her chest in a way that would make the boys stare.
"Hina," Renji whispered, leaning in closer so only she could hear. "You're burning up."
"I... I'm fine." she wheezed, shaking.
"No, you're not. At this rate, you're going to pass out." Renji said bluntly. He didn't move his hands from her back. "Unzip the jacket."
"I can't!" she hissed back, panic in her voice. "If I... everyone will look! Takumi already said..."
"Takumi is an idiot who is currently trying to dry his hair by headbanging." Renji deadpanned, nodding toward the fountain.
Hina glanced over. Takumi was indeed shaking his head like a wet dog.
Renji shifted his position slightly. He broadened his shoulders, effectively creating a wall between Hina and the rest of the boys' line of sight.
"Look," Renji said calmly. "I'm blocking the view. No one can see you but me. So just unzip it halfway to let the heat out. If you faint, the coach will have to carry you to the infirmary, and that will draw way more attention."
Hina froze realizing that he was right. It was true that her dizziness was getting worse, if she really fainted then…
"You... you promise you're blocking them?" she whispered.
"I'm a wall." Renji assured her. "Go on."
With shaking hands, Hina reached for her zipper.
Zzzzp.
She pulled it down to her sternum.
The relief was instant. The trapped heat escaped, and she took a giant, ragged gulp of fresh air. Her chest heaved, a motion that would have definitely drawn eyes if Renji hadn't been shielding her.
"Feeling any better?" Renji asked.
"Y-Yes..." Hina breathed, her shoulders relaxing. "Thank you... Renji-kun."
"Okay. Now try stretching again. I'll help."
Renji pushed again. This time, without the constriction, Hina could bend further. His hands were firm on her back, grounding her.
From this angle, Renji had a view that would kill any other high school boy. The unzipped jacket revealed the white t-shirt underneath, damp with sweat, clinging to the impressive curves that caused her so much anxiety.
Renji didn't look away because that might insinuate something, but he didn't leer either.
'They look really soft.' he thought. 'That is definitely an unfair advantage.'
"You're doing good." he said aloud. "Five more seconds."
"Mmn..." Hina made a small, contented sound, finally able to breathe and move.
For a moment, they were in their own little world. The noise of the class faded. It was just the heat, the smell of sun and sweat, and the secret shared behind the wall of Renji's back.
"Hey! Guys!"
Takumi's voice shattered the mood.
He came skidding to a halt next to them, water dripping from his chin.
"Did I miss the stretches? Coach is blowing the whistle non-stop!" Takumi panted. "Whoa, Hina, your face is red! Are you okay?"
Seeing that people were slowly looking at her again, Hina quickly zipped her jacket back up to her collarbone, not all the way, but enough to feel safe again. She scrambled to her feet.
"I... I'm fine, Takumi-kun!" she squeaked. "Renji-kun helped me!"
"Nice work, Renji!" Takumi gave Renji a thumbs up. "Thanks for covering for me, buddy! I got all the mud off, though! Look, I'm good as new!"
He pointed to his face, which was indeed clean, though his shirt was now soaked.
Renji stood up, dusting off his gym shorts. He looked at Takumi, then at Hina, who was looking at the ground but stealing a shy glance at Renji.
"You missed the hard work, as usual, Takumi." Renji said with a smirk. "Come on. Class is dismissed."
He walked toward the locker rooms.
He had two interactions, and both were successful. He was just a guy who saw an opportunity to be the cool, reliable one while his best friend was busy being a cartoon character.
'This is incredibly easy to get used to,' Renji thought, feeling a refreshing spring breeze finally hit his face as he neared the building. 'And it's definitely vastly more entertaining than following the original script.'