The Issue of Why I'm Frequently Mentioned in Conversations Among S-Class Beauties ~Please Stop Fabricating Things I Have No Memory Of~ (Dropped) - Chapter 09: Encounter with the S-Class Beauty Part ②

Chapter 09: Encounter with the S-Class Beauty Part ②

Haruya has a daily routine of indulging in fashion as a way to cope with stress. Although his high school is just within walking distance from his apartment, it’s still a bit far for him, causing him even more disappointment.

(I forgot the printout for the assignment. How could I be so careless?)

Haruya isn’t usually the type to forget things, but this time, he happened to forget something important. Despite feeling frustrated, he decided to dress up and regain his peace of mind.

(Well, the classroom is always open, and I can just wear my gym uniform and act like I’m part of the sports team. No one will probably notice…)

After putting on his clothes and accessories, Haruya realized something.

Going to school with his current appearance might be dangerous. Especially since wax and piercings are prohibited under his school’s regulations, he would easily draw unwanted attention.

But Haruya was already stressed enough from his mistake, and he didn’t want to change his outfit again.

(I’m practically invisible anyway, so it should be fine…)

Haruya had a low profile in his class, with hardly anyone paying attention to him. Although he had a slight sense of crisis, he convinced himself and changed into the school gym uniform before leaving his house alone.

♦︎♢♦︎

Haruya’s apartment is near his high school, but he has to pass a small park on the way. The park has a few playground equipment, including a basketball hoop.

The basketball team sometimes practices there on weekends, but not today.

Today, the hoop was occupied by Sara.

“…Again…”

Sara stared at the hoop with her determined amber eyes and threw the ball. The ball hit the rim and bounced back, heading straight for Sara’s head.

“Ow, owowow—!”

Sara couldn’t dodge in time and got hit by the ball. She looked like she’d been through it a lot. This was most likely not her first attempt at shooting.

“Ouch…I messed up again.”

“Are you okay?”

Haruya couldn’t overlook Sara’s clumsiness. He was on his way to school when he noticed her and walked over to her.

“Uh, y-yes, I’m fine…Wait, you’re…!”

“Huh?”

In that instant, Haruya and Sara’s eyes widened as they recognized each other.

Haruya recognized the girl he had rescued from a pick-up attempt only after a second look. The only reason he didn’t recognize her immediately was because she had a different hairstyle than back then.

Her flaxen hair, which she usually wore loose, was now tied back in a ponytail. so that it wouldn’t get in the way of what she’s doing.

(No way, this can’t be happening again…)

Haruya felt a surge of panic and broke into a cold sweat. He quickly looked away from Sara’s eyes, afraid that she would think he was stalking her.

“I-It’s just a coincidence…”

“I know, I know!”

Sara said reassuringly, but Haruya still worried that she might get suspicious if they kept bumping into each other like this.

“By the way, are you really okay?”

Internally, Haruya was anxious, but he didn’t show it on his face and asked again.

“Yes…I-I’m fine.”

“You look like you’re really into basketball. Are you practicing for something?”

“Well, we have to play basketball in our next class. I’m not good at sports, so I thought I’d practice a bit before the class.”

“I see.”

“But I can’t seem to make any shots… and the ball keeps hitting me in the head.”

“… That’s kind of amazing.”

“What…?”

“I mean, it’s amazing that you can keep trying even though you’re not good at sports.”

As balls kept hitting on her head repeatedly, Haruya couldn’t help but be impressed by Sara’s skill, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell her that

“…I-It’s not like that at all.”

Sara blushed and looked down, but her expression seemed to convey happiness as she smiled.

“Well, I’m in a hurry, so I’ll be on my way.”

“T-Thank you very much for stopping to talk to me.”

Haruya acknowledged Sara’s polite behavior as she bowed her head and thanked him before heading towards his high school. But then again…

” —Ow, owowow.”

He couldn’t ignore her voice as it seemed she had been hit in the head by the ball again, behind him.

Unable to ignore it, he turned around and asked,

“Hey, can I borrow that ball for a second?”

Taking the basketball, he positioned himself and showed Sara that he knew a thing or two about the sport. Although he wasn’t an expert in athletics, he knew he was better than Sara.

(Well, I can’t just leave her like this… Maybe I can teach her a thing or two.)

Haruya decided to take advantage of the opportunity and have a little basketball training with Sara.

♦︎♢♦︎

As they played basketball together, Sara’s heart was beating faster and faster.

She couldn’t help but notice that Haruya was wearing a jersey that looked just like the one her high school wore.

(Same high school… fufu, that’s a big win! And he’s such a good person for taking the time to teach me. I have to find him at school!)

Sara was lost in her thoughts as she eagerly absorbed the basketball training that Haruya was providing.