I Was Unreasonably Dumped By My Girlfriend And Had My Heart Broken. When I Rescued A Beautiful Girl Who Was My Former Classmate And Idol In My Class From A Group Of Yarisa, My Gray College Life Started To Shine - Chapter 21
Episode 21: Your “Do Your Best!”
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To participate in volunteering paired with Aoba, I need to achieve the highest score in this round.
Therefore, I can’t afford to make any mistakes.
In the midst of not knowing the abilities of the people around me, it’s important to keep succeeding no matter what.
I stand in front of the lane, holding the slightly heavy 12-pound ball.
Before throwing the first shot, I take a deep breath while holding the ball.
Just as I’m about to start throwing… I see Aoba throwing on the adjacent lane.
She hops forward to the line and stops there.
“Here we go!”
After swinging the ball to the side of her waist, she throws it with all her might.
…It was a throw that could be seen as difficult even for an act, almost a sophisticated throw.
Despite not being weak, the ball flies out vigorously, but because she aimed diagonally from the start, it goes straight into the gutter.
“Don’t worry about it!”
Despite such voices of encouragement from our club members, Aoba shows a wry smile while scratching her head.
At the same time, she raises her thumb towards me.
“What, are you smiling because things are going well over here…”
While muttering softly, I take a step forward this time.
Adjusting my pace firmly, I cautiously release the ball as if I’m placing it.
The ball travels straight along the guideline.
It hits slightly off-center among the pins, but somehow manages to secure a strike.
I breathe a sigh of relief.
It’s been a while, but the feeling isn’t bad. If I rely on the weight of the ball and maintain stable throws, I might manage somehow.
“Nogami-kun, you’re good! Honestly, I underestimated you.”
“Yeah, yeah, that last one was pretty clean, the form.”
“Were you doing this before? That’s amazing.”
Responding to the members of the same group who raise their hands to greet me, I return their gestures one by one.
Then, I discreetly raise my thumb towards Aoba this time.
Yeah, she nods and returns a smile.
If I keep up this pace without letting my guard down, I might even aim for first place.
That’s what I intend to do, but…
Unexpectedly, the enemy was right nearby.
“Wow, Hayashi, you’re too good! Easily two consecutive strikes. That last one was like a work of art, wasn’t it?”
“Well, yeah. I skipped cram school even during exams.”
Why are you so good, Hayashi…!!
Usually, the cheerful types are supposed to be clumsy at this kind of thing, which adds to their charm, right?
While I’m thinking that to myself…
“You’re good, seriously.”
I raise my hand towards Hayashi.
“Well, I just felt like getting a little serious~. Someone here is giving off a good vibe.”
He raises his eyebrows and smiles cheerfully, ruffling his reddish-brown hair.
…Yeah, it’s pretty obvious he sees me as a rival.
But well, there’s no use worrying about his results.
I can only aim for the best I can do.
I continue to make careful throws, mostly strikes or at least spares.
During that time, Hayashi also maintained similar results, reaching the final 10 throws.
“Darn it, messed up at the end…!”
Before I throw, Hayashi’s score freezes at “248” on the score screen.
Then, it’s my turn.
The first throw somehow manages to secure a strike.
But the real challenge starts now. In the 10th throw, if you get a strike or spare, you get another chance to throw.
And if I want to beat Hayashi’s score, I have to get another strike here.
In such an ultimate situation, an unpleasant situation is unfolding for me.
“I heard the first-year kid’s really fighting hard, but this is serious, huh?”
“Wow, I’ve never seen a score like this.”
“You have six times mine!?”
“Hey, aren’t you too low? And Aoba-san, even lower!? Five!?”
By that time, it seemed like the other lanes had already finished their games, and many people had gathered behind our lane.
It was quite a pressure, enough to not even be able to react to Aoba’s incredibly low score from another dimension.
For me, who used to be gloomy, an environment where unknown people are watching is not my strong suit.
Despite feeling cramped, I stand in front of the lane.
“Do your best, Nogami-kun!!”
However, with Aoba’s voice, all the tension drains from my body.
That’s right, I’m not throwing for the spectators.
If Aoba, who lifted me up from the bottom, is cheering for me.
If Aoba wants to be paired with me, I want to show results.
That’s all there is to it.
After taking a deep breath, I release the ball carefully, focusing on my usual form, and watch its trajectory with a prayer-like feeling.
The ball runs straight towards the pins.
However, perhaps because I unintentionally exerted too much force, the line was slightly off.
When it hit the pins, it was in an uncertain position, but in the end, I managed to knock them all down with momentum.
When I look up at the score display, it shows “260”.
It was a record-breaking result.
Feeling relieved, all my tension dissipates.
I end up squatting on the spot, but cheers erupt behind me.
“Wow, first-year! I thought 250 was a myth.”
“He’s a prodigy. Go to the bowling club, forget about volunteering.”
“No no, really. I’ve been coming regularly lately, but I’ve never seen anyone this good since we started.”
The members of the club gather around in excitement.
Even the local elderly gentlemen were among them, applauding enthusiastically.
What is this situation?
It’s just a game, and I just happened to get a good score.
As I was bewildered, Aoba emerged from the crowd.
“You’re amazing, Nogami-kun! Come on, yay!”
She immediately squats down and extends her palm towards me with a beaming smile.
In response, as I raise my hand, she gently adjusts hers to meet mine.
“Great, we’re paired together. I’m so happy!”
When she says that directly, I can’t help but feel nervous.
And for some reason, my heartbeat won’t calm down. I feel like my palm is pulsating, and I worry if she can feel it.
Right now, Aoba Hikari looks even more dazzling than usual.
I wanted this smile, to the point where I can think that.
I end up staring at her face without realizing it. It feels like time has stopped.
But then…
“What, are you two dating? I thought you were just close friends.”
“No, that’s definitely it, right? Getting first place just for her, it feels like he’s so devoted to her.”
“Indeed, getting 260 points just for that is too extreme. That’s love, right?”
The voices I heard from around me brought me back to reality.
That’s right, I had received quite a bit of attention.
“N-No, that’s not it, senpai!!”
“…As Aoba-san said. There’s nothing going on.”
The two of us ended up making excuses quickly.
But still.
“Well, even if you say that with such a bright red face…”
“It’s not convincing at all.”
They wouldn’t easily accept it.
Certainly, looking at Aoba, her face was quite red. Like a bright red apple, she covered her cheeks with her hands.
“Hey, your face is too red, Aoba-san.”
“T-That’s right! I’ll just return the favor, Nogami-kun! L-Look!”
As Aoba pointed out, when I touched her cheeks, they were indeed hot.
“D-Do you really, r-really, love me!?”
The one showing clear signs of going off the rails was definitely Aoba.
She was blurting out something outrageous.
“…What are you even saying?”
And seeing her behaving like that made me embarrassed too, and my face wouldn’t stop burning.
Because of that, my explanations were completely dismissed.
Moreover, at that moment, President Nagano cautioned, “Try not to make too much noise,” causing the seniors to return to their original lane.
We couldn’t clear up the misunderstanding until the end.
Amidst all this, Hayashi put his arm around my shoulder and said,
“That was a nice assist, wasn’t it~? I perfectly orchestrated the tension that kept escalating until the end. I elevated you and played the loser. How about you treat me to ramen next time?”
“No, you were seriously into it, weren’t you?”
“Oh, you caught on?”