My Popular-as-Hell Best Friend Is Annoying, So I Want to Get Him a Girlfriend and Shut Him Up

Chapter 86: Sports Festival 11

After the bittersweet clash with Team A, I pondered why wars happen and what peace really means.

No answers came, and before I knew it, the second league match had started.

Our opponents are Class F, a group of unremarkable guys.

For some reason, they’re glaring at us like we’re their sworn enemies.

“Aoyagi-kun, I can’t forgive you guys.”

Their opening whisper tactic instantly drains me.

…Here we go again. Another tragic match?

I glance at our bench to be sure, but no girls are hogging it.

So it’s not about girls this time.

Then why are they so mad? Uryu’s tilting his head too, just as confused.

“Looking back, this past week, all we’ve thought about is crushing Class B. We’ve piled up blood, sweat, and tears. We believed it was the only way to avenge him.”

“Him?”

Everyone’s probably as puzzled as Uryu. Who the heck is “him”?

But the Class F captain’s too deep in his own world to hear, charging full speed ahead.

Being cast as villains this blatantly makes me think we’ve done something wrong, but sadly, I’ve got no clue.

What are they so angry about?

“We were supposed to light the spark of revival. When the teacher said the votes were tied, I thought a legend was about to begin. Yes—after 24 long years!”

“…24 years…?”

Those words hit me, and it all clicks.

Word’s spread to other classes that Class B made the final call on the sports festival’s sport due to a delayed decision.

For the boys, any sport could’ve been chosen.

“By the way—that’s a prestigious option that hasn’t been picked in nearly 25 years.”

Uryu’s words from way back echo in my mind.

No doubt about it—with all this info, there’s no way I’m wrong.

My eyes well up. Could it be… this Class F is…!

“You stole it all from us! This grudge for trampling sepak takraw—we’ll make you pay!”

“OOOOOOHHH!!”

Oh… oh no…!

That’s right, I forgot.

If sepak takraw got one vote, that means a class chose it.

And that class is Class F, standing right in front of me.

I’m such an idiot.

My comrades were right here all along.

No need to mourn Sepa-sama.

I don’t have to be chained to idiot Uryu’s Class B.

Now’s the time for me to rise!

As the reserve members head to the bench to start the match, I don’t go to Class B’s side. Instead, I walk toward Class F’s bench.

“What’s up? Wrong bench, man.”

A guy sitting on their bench kindly points out my mistake.

Even to me, a hated Class B member, he’s this nice.

Of course—sepak takraw fans are never bad people.

“…One vote. That’s how many votes sepak takraw got in Class B’s poll.”

“…What?”

The bench guy’s face hardens.

Maybe he’s pissed, thinking his beloved Sepa-sama’s been mocked.

Totally normal reaction.

“I cursed my own powerlessness. I could only let the chance to witness a legend slip away. All I could do was watch Sepa-sama get ridiculed.”

“Sepa-sama… you don’t mean…!?”

The bench guy’s face fills with shock.

I give him a gentle smile.

“You guys in Class F are my comrades! Fellow lovers of sepak takraw!!”

“Oh!!”

And so, the bench guy and I share a passionate embrace.

A bond forged by sepak takraw, surpassing even Melos and Selinuntius.

“I can’t play, but I’ll cheer for Class F with everything I’ve got. Just say the word.”

“…Got it. It means a lot to hear that.”

“Of course! Let’s rub it in the faces of those who mocked Sepa-sama like never before!”

“Hell yeah, we’ll make them recognize sepak takraw as Yourei High’s true sport!”

“That’s the spirit!”

We clasp right hands tightly, vowing to work together.

No need for words—when hearts connect, talk is unnecessary.

Watch this, Uryu—I’ll show you the power of friendship!

※

But Class F got obliterated, 20-2.

Reality’s just too harsh.

Chapter 87: Sports Festival 12

After two victories that felt anything but joyful, I got chewed out for siding with Class F’s bench.

My teammates demanded to know whose side I was on, and when I said, “Sepak takraw’s side,” they went silent.

Their pitying stares followed me.

Did I win that exchange?

Amid all this, we reached the final league match against Class C.

A bit into the first half, their strength seems about on par with Class A from the first game.

Doesn’t look like the basketball club powerhouse Kamishiro Haruka mentioned.

“Hirose-senpai! Hey!”

“Oh!”

As I sit on the bench with Kubota, two underclassmen girls who shouldn’t be here show up.

Rando-dono and Ai-chan.

“What’re you doing here during class?”

“Senpai, check the clock. It’s lunch break already.”

“Oh, right.”

Rando-dono’s remark jogs my memory of the PE teacher’s speech at the opening ceremony.

Due to the league format, lunch break’s delayed by 30 minutes.

It leaves you a bit hungry, but staggering it with other grades keeps the cafeteria from getting packed.

The snack shop’s stock is mostly gone, but that doesn’t matter to a cafeteria guy like me.

Got sidetracked, but it’s lunch break now, so that’s why Rando-dono and Ai-chan are here.

Looking closer, a small crowd’s gathered around the court.

If they’re here for Uryu, that’s some serious star power.

“You sticking around?”

“Yeah, we’re thinking till halftime.”

“Then don’t stand—grab a seat on the bench.”

“Eh, but you two are already here.”

“No problem. Right, Kubota?”

“Underclassmen beauties, huh? Guess I’ll just have to warm up longer.”

Leaving a cool line, Kubota quietly stands and starts stretching behind the bench.

I slide over to Kubota’s spot and gesture for the two to sit.

“Um, is this really okay? This is for you senpais, right?”

Ai-chan frets, seeing Kubota give up his seat.

Classic conscientious Ai-chan, but with Kubota, it’s no issue.

“Don’t worry. Giving up his seat to cute girls is Kubota’s life’s calling. He’s warming up, but his heart’s happy as can be.”

“That’s… quite a unique preference…”

Rando-dono eyes Kubota stretching his Achilles, her expression complicated.

Congrats, Rando-dono—you’ve just encountered another of the world’s mysteries.

“C-Cute…? Sora-chan, sure, but… me too…?”

Ai-chan presses her cheeks, face turning beet red.

Yeah, anyone would call that reaction cute.

So fresh and pure.

Right then, my eyes meet Rando-dono’s.

We both smirk, clearly thinking the same thing.

“What’re you saying, Ai-chan? Your cuteness is a universal truth.”

“Eh, w-what!?”

“Exactly. Ai-chan’s cuteness is so profound it defies words. It’s on a cosmic scale, conquering the universe.”

“That makes no sense!!”

“Calm down, Ai-chan. You can’t get flustered over ‘cute.’ You are cute now.”

“It’s about time ‘Ai-chan’ becomes the unit for cuteness. You’ve made history, Ai-chan.”

“Enough!! That’s enough, let’s watch the match!! Please!!”

Unable to handle our words, Ai-chan frantically waves her hands to change the topic.

Her face is redder than ever, teary from embarrassment.

Rando-dono and I are thrilled to witness such an adorable reaction.

“Alright, having established Ai-chan’s cuteness, let’s get back to the match.”

“Enough, Sora-chan…”

Glancing at Ai-chan, curled up in a cross-legged ball on the bench, Rando-dono turns to the Class C game.

“Aoyagi-senpai’s handling the ball, huh?”

“Kamishiro Haruka said he’s usually a forward, right?”

“Yeah. But Aoyagi-senpai can probably handle any position no problem.”

“It’s just sports festival level. He’ll manage.”

Rando-dono joined the boys’ basketball team because of Uryu, but her eyes are dead serious watching the game.

With her growing knowledge, she might be analyzing even this casual match in her own way.

“Senpai, how close is the sports festival to actual basketball rules?”

“What do you mean?”

“It looks like they’re not enforcing the 8-second rule.”

“Oh, that. The rules are way looser than standard. Not just 8 seconds—24 seconds, 3 seconds, none of that’s enforced. They’re pretty lax on traveling too.”

“Sorry for asking, but you know a lot about basketball, senpai?”

“Of course. I aced the PE final three times in a row.”

“What!? Senpai, are you, like, super smart!?”

That reflex reaction felt pretty rude.

“Not in terms of test scores. I just master PE because it seems like useful knowledge.”

“Wow, I thought PE would be trickier than the core five subjects.”

“It’s not hard. Just memorize the whole test range.”

“That’s why everyone struggles…”

“Uryu usually aces it too.”

“Aoyagi-senpai’s that kind of guy.”

Huh?

Has Rando-dono been kinda harsh on me?

I’m not that kind of guy?

“Back to your question, the sports festival rules are loose. One ref, no shot clock—it’s inevitable.”

“That makes sense, but it means stalling’s super easy, right?”

“No one’s thinking that hard. It’s just a sports festival. Look how chaotic it is already.”

On the court, a Class C guy isn’t retreating while we’re attacking, and three teammates are clogging the paint. Zero strategy.

“If they came with a solid game plan, crushing it would be fun. But this match is just swarming the ball—kinda dull. Not that you expect much from a sports festival.”

“By the way, Hirose-senpai, are you subbing in for the second half?”

“Nope. It’s tiring, boring, and there’s no point.”

“Haha…”

Rando-dono lets out a dry laugh.

I feel like she’s a bit put off, but she flashes a slight, amused smile.

“So, you’d play if it was an exciting match?”

“No exciting match exists, so I’m not playing. End of story.”

“Eh, you don’t know that yet!”

“I do. Uryu’s gonna dominate, we’ll win, and that’s it.”

“Hmm, I wanted to see Hirose-senpai play basketball.”

“Sora-chan, we’ve got class anyway, so we wouldn’t see it.”

“I know, but still~”

Between those second-year idiots and Rando-dono, why’s everyone so eager to see me play?

I’m not secretly amazing or anything.

Their weird expectations just make it harder to join.

Not that I think it’ll come to that.

※

The match stays in Class B’s control, ending in a 16-6 win.

Three wins in three games, and we’ve secured a spot in the finals tournament.

Chapter 88: Sports Festival 13

After finishing the morning program, it’s lunchtime. At Uryu’s suggestion, the team decides to eat together.

I planned to slip away, but Uryu said, “It’s a hassle to track you down, so just eat with us,” and I couldn’t escape.

I swore I’d head straight back to the gymnasium after lunch, but he didn’t trust me one bit.

It’s brutal for a guy who’s been sitting next to him for over half a year.

Lunch, doubling as a strategy meeting for the finals tournament, wraps up, and the boys regroup in the First Gymnasium.

The finals tournament is starting.

The advancing players head to their courts, our team included.

You’d think the teams knocked out in the prelims would be bored, but since the finals use only two courts, the third is free for them to mess around on.

Playing for fun without worrying about scores seems to be the most enjoyable, so the eliminated teams aren’t as bored as you’d expect.

Back to the first match: we’re up against Class D.

As a second-place qualifier, they’re a step above our prelim opponents, living up to their finals tournament spot.

Uryu, who stuck to passing in the prelims, starts shining with solo plays.

When he gets serious, defenders might as well not exist—he racks up points with jump shots from near the paint’s edge.

Once a decent lead’s built, he shifts back to passing, setting up the team to score.

Watching him, his movement quality is on another level.

The other team must be suffering.

The match ends without a hitch.

With an eight-team tournament, we’re in the top four—two more wins to the championship.

The semifinals go just as smoothly, following the same pattern.

I’m almost disappointed at how easily we win with Uryu on our side.

※

In other words, Class B’s real test will come when Uryu gets shut down.

As our match ends, a bunch of girls spill out from the Second Gymnasium.

According to Uryu, the third-place matches for both boys and girls are next, followed by the girls’ final, then the boys’ final, and finally the closing ceremony.

The grand finals are set up for everyone to see, a nice touch by the PE teacher.

Doesn’t matter to me since I’m not playing.

The third-place match finishes, and the girls’ final begins.

It’s a rematch of the game I saw this morning: Natori Mayoi’s Team A versus Kamishiro Haruka’s Team C. Talk about a heated matchup.

Team C won by a decent margin in the prelims, but the final’s a total seesaw battle.

Team C scores, Team A answers. Team C blocks, Team A blocks.

Being their second clash, they’ve got a sense of each other’s style.

The big change is Natori Mayoi using her teammates more.

Thanks to that, she’s winning more one-on-ones against Kamishiro Haruka.

With more options, Mayoi’s making it tough for Haruka, who still keeps her smile.

In the end, it’s a tie.

Natori Mayoi nails a layup at the buzzer, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

Mayoi pushes for overtime, but to keep the schedule, it’s declared a co-championship.

Warm applause rains down on both teams for such a thrilling match—I agree, it was intense.

With the girls’ final’s heat still lingering, the boys’ final kicks off.

As expected, it’s our Team B, led by Uryu, against Team C, stacked with four basketball club members.

“Sorry, Aoyagi, we’re taking this one.”

“We’re not losing either.”

Lining up with Class C at center court, I’m struck by their height—they’re about five centimeters taller on average.

The fact they’ve got someone taller than Uryu is honestly terrifying.

Makes me wonder who we’ve been facing until now.

““Go, Aoyagi-kun!!””

After greetings, Kubota and I hit the bench.

Cheers for Uryu ring out during the jump ball.

It’s distracting, but Uryu’s locked into the game—no issue there.

※

But the actual match doesn’t go smoothly.

“…Bold move.”

Uryu, dribbling, has two defenders on him: one from the basketball club and another, apparently from track, not basketball.

That’s manageable, but the other three form a triangle zone near the basket.

It’s a daring defense, targeting Uryu alone and ignoring long-range shots from others.

Uryu tries passing to a teammate, but the two markers stick to him like glue.

Everyone else is wide open—free to dribble, free to shoot.

Yet, even then, Class B can’t score.

The triangle zone’s shifted toward the three-point line, so getting close to the basket draws relentless pressure from the zone’s top.

An experienced player might counter it, but our only experienced guy’s smothered by a double-team.

He can break free sometimes, but teammates can’t get him the ball in those moments.

Midway through the first half, Uryu hands off ball-handling to another teammate, but they can’t just replicate what he’s been doing.

Even with a 4-on-3 advantage, we can’t score, and time just slips away.

“Boring game!” a heckler shouts, but Team C stays unfazed.

They’re that committed to beating Uryu.

I can’t help but admire their airtight defense, even as the enemy.

The result: we’re down 10-2 at halftime, our worst deficit yet. Our only points came from a fluke where Uryu shook his markers and a pass connected.

“Pathetic, Uryu.”

Standing from the bench to let the starters rest, I throw my first impression at Uryu.

“Reacting too late to their strategy, giving half-assed directions that just confuse the team. Lose like this, and it’s all on you.”

“Hirose, you bastard! You’re not even playing—why’re you acting all high and mighty!?”

“Stop, no fighting. Yukiya’s right—I’m the one screwing up. Playing or not doesn’t matter.”

“But…”

“I underestimated them. Didn’t think they’d come with such a locked-in defense. My markers won’t last the whole game, but they’ll probably sub in fresh ones.”

Uryu keeps his tone upbeat to avoid demoralizing the team.

But everyone shares the same anxiety.

“Hey, Aoyagi, can we win this?”

Kubota, set to play in the second half, asks Uryu with a slight tremble.

Honestly, winning from here’s tough.

Unless we shake their “just stop Uryu” mindset, it’ll be a repeat of the first half.

If someone could change their approach, the game’s still up for grabs.

“It’s not guaranteed, but we’ve still got a chance.”

“Seriously!?”

Uryu’s words light up the team’s eyes.

Even down four goals, Aoyagi Uryu says we can win—everyone’s clinging to that hope.

“What do we do, man!? We’ll do anything to win!”