Chapter 47

After arriving at the classroom, Satoru took his seat, but the tense atmosphere between the two girls still hadn’t let up.

Even so, Ruri showed no intention of moving away from Satoru’s side.

The only saving grace was that, thanks to the earlier confrontation, the two weren’t arguing out loud anymore.

Also, the seating arrangement helped—Satoru was physically positioned between them, keeping them from directly clashing.

Still, for him, it was an unrelentingly nerve-wracking situation.

From today onward, the plan was to gather the class reps and sports festival planning committee members after school to go over planning, progress, and slowly prepare the equipment and logistics necessary for the upcoming festival.

“All right, let’s get this over with…”

After a short meeting, Satoru made his way to the equipment storage room.

His job: to check that all the gear needed for the festival matched the recorded inventory.

At the same time, he had to make sure nothing was damaged or too dirty to use.

Since a lot of it was heavy, dusty, and basically abandoned most of the year, no one wanted to do this job.

When a PE teacher shouted, “Some boy do it!”, nobody volunteered… so in the end, Satoru raised his hand.

(Sure, it’s a hassle, but I don’t hate quiet, solitary work like this…)

He preferred this over awkwardly interacting with members from other classes he didn’t know. Inside the secluded storage room, he could focus and work in peace.

He could also think things through while moving his hands—less stress, more mental clarity.

For him, the mental benefits outweighed the physical hassle.

One by one, he pulled out the gear, checked the numbers and condition, and jotted it all down.

“Phew…”

The early summer heat, combined with moving heavy equipment, was really wearing him out.

“Takashima-kun, great work!”

While buried in dust and immersed in his work, he heard a voice call out from behind.

There was no mistaking the cheerful tone—it was Ruri.

Turning around, he saw her standing there… but noticeably different.

Her blouse was loosened more than before, and her skirt had clearly been adjusted to a shorter length.

Satoru didn’t want to think this, but it was clear: she had come here prepared specifically to see him.

“Huh? What are you doing here, Amamiya-san? Weren’t the girls assigned different tasks?”

“Yup! I already finished mine!”

“That was fast.”

“Not really—look, it’s already past five!”

“Wait, it’s that late…?”

He hadn’t been paying attention, but it seemed a fair amount of time had passed while he was focused.

“This job’s way too much for one person! Honestly, all the other guys just ran off to club activities!”

“Well, can’t be helped. Their time for clubs is limited, so I kinda get why they’d want to head over early.”

“Still, they should’ve helped first! Here, I’ll lend a hand!”

She stepped toward him with determination.

Her outfit, this small enclosed space—zero visibility from outside.

He had no idea what she might try, and even if nothing actually happened, if she said something did, it’d be over for him.

Now more than ever, Reika’s advice rang true. He needed to defend himself completely.

“No, it’s all right. Amamiya-san, you should go to your club too.”

“No way! You’re doing all this heavy work, I can’t just leave you here!”

She looked up at him with wide eyes and a slightly tilted head.

For most guys, that was probably a critical hit.

“Thanks, but… truth is, I’m more worried about Seiya. You know how impulsive he can be. But when I see you like this, I think—‘If Amamiya-san’s there for him, he’ll be fine.’ So… would you go check on him?”

He hated himself for saying that.

Why were these manipulative words coming so smoothly out of his mouth—complimenting her while subtly pushing her away?

Even he was disgusted at how calculating it sounded.

“U-Um… okay. If you’re asking that seriously…”

“I really appreciate it. I don’t have a club, so I’ll wrap things up and head home—don’t worry.”

She didn’t look completely satisfied, but perhaps the sense that Satoru trusted her helped. She stepped back, accepting his words.

For now, his full-defense strategy had worked.

“Okay, see you tomorrow then!”

“Yeah, see you.”

She spun around and walked off.

After making sure she was gone, Satoru let out a long sigh.

“You handled that well. As always, your defense instincts in moments like this are impressive.”

The moment he sighed, Reika stepped out from hiding.

“You were watching?”

“Oh? Did you not want backup?”

“Eh… not sure. Kinda sucked being alone, but if you’d jumped in and we got into it again, that wouldn’t help either. You were kinda getting overwhelmed back there too.”

“…”

That last bit must’ve hit her hard. He meant it as a light comment, but Reika didn’t respond.

“You… still thinking about what she said?”

“…I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me. It’s true she probably understands boys better than I do.”

Coming from Reika, that kind of self-doubt was rare—and surprising.

“What, are you lumping me in with other guys now?”

“Satoru…”

Gently, Satoru reached out and stroked the top of her head, as if to comfort her.