About the Cool Beauty in My Class Declaring She Won’t Eat Anything Except My Bento - 21

Chapter 21: Good Job at the Sports Festival

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“Congratulations on winning!”

As soon as she entered the classroom, Kurumi thrust her fist into the air and jumped up. Our block took top honors in both the mixed-gender relay and the block-versus-block relay, resulting in a brilliant overall victory.

The first-year students also achieved great results, which contributed to our win. Regarding Ayano, she didn’t fall behind even against active members of sports clubs, and she even managed to move us up one spot in the rankings. I knew from PE class that she was gifted in both academics and sports, but I hadn’t realized she was this incredible. Knowing the effort she puts in, like her running sessions after school, made me respect her all the more.

“Kurose, good job.”

“Thanks. Did you see the end?”

“I saw it. The first-year anchor overtook one person and took first place with pride. I can only say it was typical of you.”

“Right?! Our Yuki is amazing!”

While I was talking to Kurose, who had just returned to the room, Shu hugged me forcefully from behind.

“Shu, you’re hot.”

“Ehh! It’s fine! Let’s share the joy!”

“But Kurata, didn’t you drop one rank?”

“That was the mixed-gender relay! I maintained my spot in the block-versus-block, didn’t I?”

“So you’re at a slight net loss, then.”

“Sota, aren’t you being a bit mean?”

“Well, I moved up in the rankings.”

“Yuki~! Don’t you abandon me too!”

Shu pressed his finger into my cheek while pretending to cry. 

(That actually hurts, you know?)

“By the way, Kurata, are you coming to the after-party?”

“Ah, I’m not sure yet?”

“I thought you’d give an immediate ‘I’m going!’ response, Shu.”

“Eh, is Sota going? If so, maybe I’ll go~”

“No, I’m not.”

“What’s with that? Well, I guess for me, it depends on Kurumi.”

Finally released from Shu, I sat down in my own seat. Since it was free time for a while, my classmates were spending it as they pleased. Some went to other classrooms to hang out, others were just chatting.

Shu sat in his own seat, and Kurose sat down as if squeezing onto Shu’s chair.

“Yuki, you’re hot—”

“Let the man of the hour sit down—”

“Urgh… I can’t say anything to that… Please, take a seat.”

Standing up from my chair as someone who hadn’t achieved much of anything at the sports festival, I yielded the spot. Kurose sat deep in Shu’s seat while saying, “You may stay,” and Shu sat on the desk.

“Wait, did you have plans with Kurumi or something?”

“Hm? Why?”

“Well, since you said it depends on Kurumi, I figured that must be it.”

I thought Shu liked class gatherings like after-parties, so it was unexpected that he didn’t agree immediately, but hearing Kurumi’s name as the reason was much more surprising.

“It’s not exactly ‘plans’ but… no, I guess it is plans?”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“I don’t know the details myself, but she asked me, ‘Do you want to go to an after-party somewhere on the night of the sports festival?’ I didn’t know if she meant with the class or just the two of us.”

It didn’t seem to be a secret, so he spoke honestly. He told me, but… 

(I feel like this isn’t the kind of thing you should really tell people….)

Thinking that, I looked at Kurose, who was indeed wearing a cramped smile.

“Come to think of it, Sota looks really cool today. Is it because of the sports festival after all?”

Kurose brought me up as the topic, likely trying to change the subject for Kurumi’s sake.

“Shu and Kurumi teased me about it this morning.”

“Hahaha! Be grateful, young man.”

“That’s just like those two. It suits you well.”

“I’m happy to hear that from you, Kurose, since you’re always cool.”

“Hey, are you forgetting about me?”

“I remember you just fine.”

“You remember me but you’re ignoring me?! That’s cruel!”

“He’s such a pain.”

“But really, you got high marks from the other girls too, didn’t you?”

Just as Kurose said, I had received praise like “It looks good on you” or “You’re cool” from girls I had never even talked to during the festival. Since it was something Shu and Kurumi did for me, I was genuinely happy, but it felt somewhat uncomfortable.

“Because it got high marks, I won’t be doing it for a while.”

“What a waste.”

“I don’t really like being told things about my appearance by girls. It’s a hassle.”

“If you just tried a little harder instead of being so lazy about it, you’d be super popular.”

“I don’t particularly want to be popular, though.”

“Even though you make dinner for Ayano-san?”

“That’s… that isn’t something I’m doing because I want to be popular, either.”

I think our current relationship existed precisely because there were no ulterior motives, and I was actually able to hear that from her own mouth during lunch. If it weren’t for Ayano’s pure heart…. I didn’t know if I would have been able to respond so well to the girls today. That was exactly the reason I went out of my way to come to a private high school in another prefecture, after all.

“Whaaat kiiiind of taaaaalk are you haaaaaaving!”

Just then, Kurumi returned to the classroom and kicked the legs of the desk Shu was sitting on. Ayano returned right behind her.

“We’re talking about how cool Sota is today.”

“Hehe, you should be grateful, young man.”

“Your way of acting arrogant is exactly the same as Shu’s.”

“Kurata and Kurumi have always been perfectly in sync.”

“That’s not true at all, though?”

“That’s not true at all, you know?”

“You’re perfectly in sync.”

Kurose and I burst out laughing at the two of them, who were in sync even in their denial. But if Kurumi’s invitation was for “just the two of us to have an after-party,” then they might make a good pair.

“I could clearly hear your cheering too, Kirihara-san.”

“I raised my voice more than usual. I’m glad it reached you.”

“And… well.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t think I’ve said it yet, but I think you look cool too, you know?”

While Shu and Kurumi were making a fuss, Ayano spoke to me in a whisper. Facing her straightforward compliment in a situation where only I could hear, I felt an embarrassment I hadn’t felt with the other girls. I could only manage a small, “…Thanks,” in response.

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