I Chose the Plain Girl Instead of the Class’s Top Three Beauties, and Somehow She Became the Heroine - 61

Chapter 61: The Confidence to Stand Beside Her

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《Sora Mukei’s POV》

The moment the match ended, the feeling in the soles of my feet slowly returned. My sweat-soaked dōgi cooled. Deep in my ears, cheers and applause still echoed like lingering reverberations. When I returned to the edge of the tatami, Akira was raising both hands with a huge grin.

“ You did it, Sora!! You seriously went and won the whole thing!!!”

“Haha, yeah… It still doesn’t feel real though. Thanks.”

Akira’s palm smacked mine with force. A dry sound rang out. That sound finally seeped into my body as the fact that “it was over.”

“That was amazing! That spinning kick was incredible, wasn’t it?!”

“Yeah yeah, I saw it! It was like something you’d see in a movie!”

Miura-san and Kiritani-san rushed over, giving me their impressions of the fight. Both of them were unbelievably excited, like people just after a live concert. Behind them, Hino-san stood with her crutches, smiling.

“Mukei-kun, you were amazing. Really, truly amazing!”

“Thank you. But it was just a bunch of coincidences.”

“No being modest!”

Miura-san snapped at me.

“If the person who won says stuff like that, people will get mad! Everyone worked so hard.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

I could accept Miura-san’s words. They made me smile without meaning to. Just a few months ago, I never would have imagined someone saying these kinds of things to me. At that moment, I suddenly felt someone’s gaze. Okabe was staring at me. Normally, if I were talking with the Three Great Beauties, he would barge in whining, “Hey, no fair!” But today, for some reason, he was silent.

He just had his mouth a little open, like he was looking at something unbelievable.

“…Hey, Okabe?”

“…You… You were actually… Strong.”

His voice trembled. Okabe was backing off. The atmosphere around us twisted slightly, and Akira quickly threw an arm over my shoulder.

“See? When our Sora-sama gets serious, he gets things done!”

“Y-yeah… Well… Um, yeah.”

He was clearly scared. I never thought I’d see that expression on his face. As I let out a breath, half-laughing internally, a soft voice reached me.

“Sora-kun.”

When I turned, Hiroko-san was standing there. During the match earlier, she had looked like she was about to jump out of the spectator’s section from excitement. Up close, I could still see the light lingering in her eyes.

“…You were amazing. Really… You were so cool.”

Slowly, straightforwardly. The moment those words fell, something warm burst open deep in my chest.

“Thank you. Your cheering really reached me.”

“I’m glad… I was about to cry.”

As she said that, smiling, a small bit of tears pooled at the corners of Hiroko-san’s eyes. The evening light caught them, making them shimmer. I wiped my forehead with my towel and chose my words carefully.

“…There’s an award ceremony after this.”

“Yes.”

“When it’s over… Could you wait for me? Just a little?”

Hiroko-san blinked. During that brief moment, my heartbeat grew loud.

“I’ll wait. I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

Her short answer made me impossibly happy. Around us, Miura-san and the others were chatting.

“What do we do for lunch?”

“Let’s take pictures!”

We took photos together. When that was done and they started preparing to head home, I looked toward Hiroko-san again and said to her.

“Let’s go home together.”

“…Okay.”

Her nod looked just a little shy. I engraved that small gesture into my heart and walked toward the line for the award ceremony. On the stage, the rankings were already being announced. Each time a name was called, applause followed. And finally, the judge’s voice rang out.

“First place, Sora Mukei.”

At that moment, the entire gym shook. Master lifted his chin slightly and smiled. Akira jumped, Miura-san and the others clapped. When I looked for Hiroko-san, she was at the edge of the spectator seats, hands clasped at her chest with a beautiful smile on her face.

I slowly stood and accepted the trophy. Its golden reflection was dazzling. Somewhere deep inside, warmth finally spread. I caught Hiroko-san’s gaze and raised my right arm just a little higher. Even without saying “Look,” I felt like my feelings would still reach her.

Hiroko-san opened her mouth in surprise, then smiled and waved big. The fan with the rabbit sticker sliced through the air as it swayed.

Ah… This is enough.

Among all the black belts, I, with only a brown belt, had won. Part of it was coincidence, and it was true that my opponent’s tension worked in my favor. But I didn’t run away. Feeling that was the biggest achievement ever. The weight of the trophy finally reached my heart. Master’s words from that day—“It’s enough that you enter”—shifted shape in my mind. It wasn’t just entering. I reached out and seized it.

When I stepped down from the podium, Akira held out his hand again.

“Sora, you were the best! I seriously respected you!”

“You were cheering so loud you probably broke my opponent’s concentration.”

“That was part of the plan!”

We laughed together. Beside us, Okabe was watching from afar for some reason. When our eyes met, his shoulders jerked.

“H-hey, Mukei… Uum… When you get serious, you’re kinda scary…”

“Huh? What are you talking about.”

“No, I mean… I won’t ever be your enemy again. Yeah. Let’s stay allies.”

What kind of war was he imagining? Smiling wryly, I bowed lightly to everyone and left the gym. Outside the entrance, the evening breeze cooled my sweat and felt pleasant. Hiroko-san was waiting.

“Good work today.”

“Thank you. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“Not at all. …Congratulations on winning.”

She put her hands together and clapped softly. The ends of her hair shimmered in the light as the breeze played with them. Watching that, I thought quietly in my heart.

Maybe the center of the world is in moments like this.

I walked beside Hiroko-san. The sleeves of my dōgi puffed a little in the wind, the hem of her skirt brushing against them. My victory among the black belts was surely just another milestone. But at least for today, I felt I could believe in myself a little. When I aimed for the next challenge, I wanted to stand with my chest held even higher. Imagining that future, I breathed in quietly. The sunset sky was far clearer than I had expected.

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