The Saint Next to Me Who Sometimes Comes Without Wearing Underwear Tells Me What’s Under Her Skirt in Secret - 10

Chapter 10

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At our school, the sports festival was held in mid-June and one of its main events was the mixed-gender obstacle race, where students competed in pairs. It was also known as the “Couple-Making Race” because boys and girls ran while holding hands, the suspension bridge effect kicked in, supposedly deepening their relationship.

That said, in reality, I figured only boys and girls who already got along well ever wanted to participate. It wasn’t that people started dating because they ran in the obstacle race together—rather, it was already-established couples or those right on the verge of becoming one who entered it.

Unfortunately, there weren’t any couples in our class who were that close. So, it was decided that the participants would be chosen by lottery…

“Still, it really feels like fate, doesn’t it, Himuro-kun?”

“Yeah, I guess it does.”

Thanks to a fair and square lottery draw, I ended up being paired with Saotome. She was the girl I was closest to in class, so I had no complaints about the pairing.

“By the way, Himuro-kun, are you the kind who gets fired up for sports festivals, or not really?”

“Not really. …I mean, I take it seriously enough to do my part, though.”

I wasn’t about to go shouting “I’m gonna win the sports festival!!” at my age. Not that I disliked it—it was a decent way to blow off steam.

“That’s a relief. I’m the same way.”

“Then let’s just do our best, but not overdo it.”

And so came the day of the sports festival… 

****

During lunch break.

『I’ll be waiting in the empty classroom on the third floor.』

Saotome had called me out. Wondering what it was about, I headed to the third floor to find her holding a lunchbox in one hand.

“Since we’re already here, why not eat together? For bonding, you know.”

“I think we’re already pretty well bonded though…”

Even as I said that, I had no reason to refuse. So we decided to eat together.

“Himuro-kun, huh… Hmm, store-bought rice balls, huh?”

“…Is there a problem?”

I did cook for myself from time to time, but… I wasn’t motivated enough to prepare a full bento in the busy morning hours.

“Mine’s homemade.”

Saotome said this with a strangely smug look. Her lunchbox was unusually large for a girl, packed with delicious-looking side dishes.

“Made by the housekeeper?”

“By me! That wouldn’t be much of a brag otherwise!”

Apparently, it was meant to be a bragging material for her. I see… Maybe she’d been worried I’d bring a higher-quality bento than hers and when she saw I had convenience store rice balls, she felt safe enough to show hers off.

What a silly girl.

Just as I thought—this “Saint” vibe of hers was just for show.

“So? Do you want a bite? If you really beg, I might just let you have a taste.”

“No, not really.”

“Actually, I made a little too much. I don’t think I can finish it all… And it’s summer, you know? I can’t exactly take leftovers home…”

She kept glancing at me. For some reason, she was being unusually pushy.

“Ah… Yeah, sure. I’ll take a little then.”

“Here you go. Chopsticks.”

“Thanks.”

I took the chopsticks from Saotome and popped a piece of tamagoyaki into my mouth. It seemed she preferred the sweet type for bentos. Personally, I liked them salty, but for bentos, I believed sweet tamagoyaki was the right choice.

“This tamagoyaki is pretty…”

“You ate it!”

Just as I was about to compliment her, Saotome grinned mischievously.

I mean, yeah, I ate it, but…

“Was there something inside it?”

“An aphrodisiac that makes your sensitivity 3,000 times stronger.”

“…Sorry, I was going to come up with a witty comeback, but I’ve got nothing.”

Faking the effects of something like that would take some next-level acting.

“Actually, I had a favor to ask.”

Saotome leaned in closer to me. She fidgeted, her cheeks turning red.

“Um… You lent me that the other day, remember? That… Naughty book…”

She whispered softly into my ear. The ticklish sensation made me involuntarily flinch.

“You want me to lend you more doujinshi?”

“Y-Yeah… Is that okay?”

“I don’t mind. …But bringing them to school is kinda risky.”

If we did this too often, we’d eventually get spotted. Even I didn’t want rumors spreading that I was bringing those kinds of books to school.

“I’ll come over to your house to pick them up. …It’s fine, I’ll be discreet.”

“Alright. Come by whenever you like.”

“Then I’ll stop by today.”

“O-Okay…”

She must’ve really liked them… Did I give her something I wasn’t supposed to? Her already-complicated tastes might just get even more tangled…

“Then as thanks, eat up!”

“Ah… O-okay.”

Pushed along by her enthusiasm, I took another bite of her cooking. The flavor was good. Simple and homemade, very comforting. Saotome looked pleased for a while, then scooted even closer again. Her elbow brushed against my chest, and I quickly pulled my arm away, but she leaned in without a care, whispering in my ear again.

“I kind of like the sports festival, you know. Can you guess why?”

“Because you get to wear gym clothes?”

“…Think a little harder about it.”

“Am I wrong?”

“…Well, you’re not wrong.”

She answered with a pout. Gym uniforms were thinner than regular clothes, after all. With the short sleeves and short pants, there was (not exactly a lot, but still) some skin showing. For someone like Saotome, who clearly had a bit of an exhibitionist streak, it probably wasn’t a bad outfit to wear. 

“By the way, this is just between us…”

“What is?”

“I’m actually wearing one size too small.”

At her words, I instinctively glanced at her outfit. Now that she mentioned it, it did look a bit tight… Maybe. The shape of her chest was more noticeable, and her shorts looked shorter than usual—almost borderline daring.

“Oh no, you pervert. Don’t stare.”

You’re the one who brought it up.

When I hurriedly looked away, Saotome laughed with delight.

…So frustrating.

“If you’re going to go that far, why not wear something in a flashier color?”

“W-Well… Th-that would be way too obvious, wouldn’t it?”

She blushed faintly and turned her face away. Then she covered her chest with both hands. According to her, she was wearing white today. Through the thin gym shirt,  I could see her white camisole showing through ever so faintly.

“…D-Don’t look.”

Saotome glared at me. Apparently, having her camisole shown was embarrassing. …I really didn’t get her standards. Going commando seemed a hundred times more embarrassing to me.

By the time we finished eating, the lunch break was nearly over, and the obstacle race was about to begin.

“…Go on ahead. I’ll come after you.”

With that, Saotome hurried out of the classroom.

Bathroom break?

Thinking that, I made my way to the venue first and waited for her. The event was about to start.

Should I ask them to delay it? Or should I go looking for her?

Just as I was considering that, Saotome came jogging over. Her face was slightly flushed.

“Not feeling well?”

“Nope, I’m fine.”

Following the announcer’s instructions, we headed to the starting line. To be honest, I didn’t care about winning or losing, but knowing so many people were watching did make me a little nervous. Just as I started to feel my heart beating faster…

“Himuro-kun.”

“Whoa!”

She suddenly grabbed my hand. My heart pounded harder.

“There’s something I wanted to tell you before we start running.”

“W-What is it?”

“Actually…”

She said, giving my arm a light tug. Then, standing slightly on tiptoe, she brought her lips close to my ear.

“I’m not wearing a bra right now.”

“Huh?”

A whistle echoed across the field, signaling the start of the match.

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