A Case in Which My House Is a Gathering Place for Girls

Sasazuki Mika. She had fluffy soft long hair, and eyes that were large and almond-shaped in which resembled those of a cat. Her eyes are a rare odd-eye combination of brown and blue and said to appear in only one in ten thousand people. Her detailed appearance was reminiscent of a bisque doll which adds to the mysterious aura surrounding her as a beautiful woman.

Even though I have grown up in a countryside with little entertainment, I know her by name. She is a famous figure.

She made her debut in the entertainment world as a child actress at the age of three. By eight, she had a starring role in a drama and was responsible for its theme song. The song became a massive hit which led her to appear on year-end music shows and setting a record as the youngest participant.

Later, she worked as a voice actress and appeared in Hollywood movies, becoming “the nation’s beloved daughter.” However, she made a public announcement earlier this year, saying she will be taking a hiatus from all her activities to focus on starting high school, which brought tears to many fans, including my grandfather.

“I’m hungry… I hope it’ll be lunch soon.”

Sasazuki mutters while looking at the clouds flowing down like a cat living freely. Despite her small frame, she seems to have quite an appetite. It’s unclear whether it’s because she skipped breakfast or if she’s just always this hungry, but being famished before physical activity must be tough.

“I can’t believe she’s drinking juice calmly… she’s so brazen.”

Though it’s not very proper to act however one likes just because they can blend into the background, it’s not serious enough to go out of my way to report it to Misuta-sensei. As long as she doesn’t get caught, it’s no big deal.

“…”

I guess it was because I was thinking about it in a daze. I was apparently staring at Sasazuki unconsciously, and our eyes met. Sasazuki slowly tilts her head with a straw in her mouth.

“By any chance… Can you see me?”

“You’re not a ghost, so of course I can see you.”

Sasazuki asks me with a genuinely puzzled expression as I just shrug my shoulders and answer, and it’s strange that even though she’s blending into the atmosphere around, Misuta-sensei and our classmates don’t recognize her.

“I can’t believe it…”

Sasazuki muttered with astonishment as if she had found a rare animal, and quickly ran away into the group. I followed her in the back before Misuta-sensei scolded me, mocking myself for being bitten by a fox.

“Everyone gathered around! Let’s start the measurement quickly!”

The class begins with the instruction to finish everything today.

We’re measuring grip strength, sit-ups, long-sitting forward bending, shuttle runs, endurance runs, and a 50-meter dash. There are also standing long jumps and handball throws. A wide variety of exercises. Completing all this in just two hours is an extremely tight schedule.

“Then boys will start running the 50-meter dash! Girls will start standing long jump! After the endurance run and handball throw, switch with class B in the gym!”

Physical education classes are held jointly by two classes, but we probably won’t join up with them even if we pass each other during the activities.

“Good luck, Jinpei-kun. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to show everyone that you are a great hero.”

While everyone started moving one after another, Kanna tapped my shoulder and spoke up.

“I’m not that kind of person. I mean, what do you think of physical fitness?”

“Hmm… It is Jinpei-kun’s showcase?”

“No. Don’t compare the physical education classes with the debut performance.”

I have nothing to showcase. After all, I’m just a guy who grew up in the countryside and running around the mountains. So there’s no way I can beat someone like Wada, who is a top athlete.

“Hehe. I hope you can say the same thing in an hour. Do your best.”

“Go find your missing emotions.”

Kanna ran off from me with a grin around her mouth while leaving a line that a little villain would say.

“Hey, hey. You’re going to show me a lot, my dear friend. Are you ready?”

Wada comes, putting his hand on my shoulder to replace Kanna. Is it just my imagination that his strength is too limited and his face is stained with anger?

“Don’t go saying anything that could get us hauled into court. What else do you mean by showing off?”

“I’m talking about the sneaky chats with Hanazono Kanna! You have been talking to each other shoulder to shoulder…! No matter how much you’re childhood friends, keep an appropriate distance!?”

In response to Wada’s angry protest, the boys around him shook their heads as if to agree to it.

“Who was it that said not to talk to her? Is your hand a drill or something?”

“That’s beside the point! It’s only natural to feel jealous about being able to talk to the top-tier beauty of Amahashiritsu Academy, Hanazono Kanna, who has a ‘level 99 difficulty’ when it comes to talking to her!”

What’s with this difficulty rating he’s talking about? This is too dumb. I must’ve let my thoughts show on my face, because Wada started explaining without even being asked.

“By the way, the difficulty level is five. The factors are how easy it is to approach her, the chances of continuing the conversation, and how likely you are to get her contact info. This shows just how out of reach Hanazono Kanna really is.”

“I don’t think I understand. I mean, level 99 in the five-step evaluation is not a bug and it’s a defect.”

“It’s just an expression of how hard it is! Don’t make me say it!”

The other guys vigorously nodded along while shouting something like it’s right. It was an amusing sight, but it’s strange that I was the only one doing the teasing. And we should probably stop before Misuta-sensei scolds us.

“Hey boys…! Stop chatting and get ready for the race! Or do you want me to just fill in random times on the record sheet?”

As expected, Misuta-sensei threatened us with a smile, so we quickly moved to the starting line of the 50-meter dash.

The measurement was carried out by two people, and it happened that Wada ran with me.

“I’m sorry, Itsuki. I’m not letting you win this.”

“It’s not a game to measure physical strength, but if you say so, I kind of want to win. Let’s show you’re sprinting power of the basketball ace.”

I was absolutely not being provoked. Coming from the countryside, where I only ran through the mountains, this was a great opportunity to see how I stacked up.

“I can’t wait to see what the special student’s athleticism is like.”

“He’s probably just studying, isn’t he?”

“Don’t lose, Wada! Don’t let Itsuki take all the glory!”

I ignored all the noise in the outfield as I sat down and waited for the signal with Wada.

Focus. I have to remember when I encountered a bear in the mountains. If I’m caught up, I’ll be able to recreate the feeling of running away desperately in a situation where I’m going to die.

“Ready… Start.”

Wada and I started running at the same time after receiving the signal.