At Last, The Sports Festival Is Ready

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Kiss-Shot had finally returned from her business trip. I was at the airport waiting for her appearance wearing a white sweatshirt underneath a black leather jacket and a pair of black pants. Some people glanced at me from time to time, but I always ignored them. Some of the bolder women approached and hit on me, but I politely refused. Everyone would look attractive in an airport because your urge to breed was amplified by the thought that you would never meet them again. That should be the case why those women were hitting on me.

Before long, the woman I had been waiting for showed up. I was a little bit surprised that she was in her Shinobu form but then realized meeting me with her true form would only bring trouble for me. Unpleasant rumors about a male high schooler and a young female billionaire would spread worldwide if an asshat recognized her. What a considerate girlfriend I had.

She gave me a light peck on the lips before hugging me. It was usually the other way around, but I didn't complain. Carrying her luggage, I led her to my car. I put everything and then left the airport with her. She said that she missed Japanese food, so we decided to visit the best ramen shop nearby. I didn't know how good it was, but the review on Google said it was recommended.

Like most good ramen shops, the place was quite humble. Naturally, with how flashy my car was, our arrival attracted some eyes. More eyes followed us when we held hands as we went inside. Shinobu was a beautiful girl. Normal older men shouldn't be too interested in her, but she was quite developed, so they couldn't help but stare. Of course, a mere glance from me was enough to make them never look at her.

As we were about to take a seat, we noticed a lone figure of a woman sitting at the table in the corner of the shop. She dressed nicely and looked fabulous, but her expression as she looked at her watch ruined her beauty. I was tempted to not meddle but couldn't help it. I knew the woman. She was the notorious Sobu's Christmas Cake, after all.

"Mind if we join you, Shizuka-san?" Shinobu said.

"Huh?" Hiratsuka-sensei looked up and stared at us in confusion before realization dawned on her. "Oshino and Hikigaya? What are you guys doing here?" Her eyes moved to our entangled hands, prompting her to nod. "A date, I see. Anyway, why did you call me by name? I am your teacher, remember?"

"That might be the case in school, but we are not in school at the moment. Moreover, it feels weird calling you Sensei while not in uniform," Shinobu rebutted calmly. "So, can we join?"

"Sure…"

We sat down and pretended to not notice Hiratsuka-sensei's defeated look. We called the waiter and then ordered our food. Unsurprisingly, Hiratsuka-sensei ordered the usual. I swear this woman has visited every ramen shop in Japan. We asked for her recommendation and ended up ordering every variety that she considered good. She looked quite weirded out but didn't comment.

"Anyway, Shizuka-chan, did you get stood up?" I asked, ignoring the glare she gave me because of the way I called her.

"I am just having a me time," she answered with a smirk which faltered quickly. "Yes, I got stood up. So, what, bastard? Wanna make fun of me, huh!?"

"Relax, darling, no one's going to make fun of you," I placated.

"H-Huh? D-Darling…?"

Sometimes, because of her beauty, I forgot that Shizuka-chan was quite unlucky in romance. She might be so busy working that she didn't know that term was thrown around casually. I still had to commend her for being flustered instead of suing me for sexual harassment, though. When she recovered, she coughed and then told me to not use that term casually. Shinobu immediately slammed her down by saying how old-styled she was.

Silence prevailed until Shizuka-chan decided to inform Shinobu what happened at school when she was away. They somehow ended up talking about me, but I didn't pay much attention to it. Shizuka-chan told Shinobu how many girls I had rejected and pitied those girls for falling for me. I pointed out she just got stood up by a plain guy despite her beauty, causing her to pity herself more. Of course, she got mad at me for pointing out a fact.

When our orders arrived, we stopped talking and relished the deliciousness they offered. Shizuka-chan was indeed a good ramen connoisseur.

"I am not mad that he stood me up. I am mad that he made me feel considerate. I left my car, so he didn't feel insecure, you know. Now, I have to commute for nothing!" Shizuka-chan spilled after Shinobu's encouragement.

"Wow. You have bad eyes for men, don't you?" Shinobu responded, stabbing Shizuka-chan's chest with her words. "If a man is intimidated by your wealth, he is not worthy of your time. He is not even confident in himself—how can he lead a relationship?"

"I would normally say that he was just being realistic, but he accepted your invitation, so he is just a coward. Don't date that type of guy," I added. "Also, I can drive you home later, so don't worry."

"Huh? You drive a car?"

"Yeah. I thought everyone at school was talking about it."

"It's true?" Shizuka-chan looked at me in bewilderment. "So, do you pick up students and take them to the Love Hotel too?"

Cough!

"I am going to kill the bastard who spreads that blasphemous rumor," I grumbled indignantly, slightly wincing because of Shinobu's pinching.

"Heh…good to know that only one of them is true."

I shot Shizuka-chan an unamused look, causing her to chuckle nervously. We finished the ramen soon and I paid for the whole thing. Shizuka-chan was more shocked at the fact that I treated them than she was at the fact that Shinobu and I consumed three big bowls of ramen. When we went to the parking lot, she squealed at the sight of my car. She couldn't believe that the car she had always seen at school which caused her envy belonged to me.

On the way to Shizuka-chan's apartment, a mall attracted Shinobu's attention. We ended up spending the day there before taking her home. It was quite tiring to spend my time around that many people, but her look at the end was worth it. Hiratsuka Shizuka was a good woman. Seeing her dampened mood turn bright brought a smile to my face.

…

New volunteers had been recruited. Their number was not as big as before, but they worked twice as hard. The preparation for both of the events was going steadily. The Bo-taoshi event was almost ready as the male volunteers were quite excited about it. The Chibasen was slightly hampered because the girls thought it was quite a dangerous event. No one asked to cancel it, but they would still express their concern for the safety from time to time.

Sagami decided to not make the event compulsory to participate in. However, she put a ridiculous point on the event, so if they wanted to win, they had to participate. Japanese students were quite competitive, so everyone should be motivated to participate. That idea came from me, so its brilliance was expected. Still, her composure was also worthy of praise. Of the close to two weeks that she had spent as the chairman, she had grown considerably.

"So, we only need to decide on the team captains of the boy teams," Meguri-san announced.

"I say that we go with my suggestion. Many people will come to watch if you go by my suggestion," Ebina said with a creepy smile. She was there because she was one of the newly recruited volunteers.

"I have to agree with Ebina-san. Hachiman-kun is the only person capable of outclassing Hayama-kun's athleticism," Yukino acquiesced.

"Yeah, Hikki is like totally strong, you know! Last time, he lifted like ten boxes by himself and I couldn't even lift one. Even Hayato-kun could only lift three at once," Yui added.

"I prefer seeing someone as capable as Hachiman ordering people around than the other way around," Shinobu chimed in. She was also one of the newly recruited volunteers.

"Then, it is settled!" Meguri-san declared. "Hachiman-kun will be the red team's captain and Hayama-kun will be the white team's captain."

Oy, oy, oy. What about my opinion!? Unaware of my thoughts, everyone hummed in agreement at the decision. Of course, I didn't bother to give them a constructive argument on why I shouldn't be the team captain. They would likely shut me down immediately or ignore my argument entirely. Why do I have to be so popular? I smiled sardonically in my mind.

When the meeting ended, I was stopped by Sagami. I had asked Shinobu, Yukino, and Yui to hang out at St. Marc Café; so, I gave Shinobu the key and told them to wait for me in the car. Shinobu didn't look too pleased as she looked at Sagami and told me to not make them wait for long. I said it wouldn't be long and let Sagami lead me.

We soon found ourselves in front of the vending machine in the school's backyard. She didn't say anything to me as she handed me a can of Maxx Coffee.

"Do you have anything to say?" I asked, opening the can.

"I want to say thank you," Sagami mumbled.

"You're welcome. Then, I am going to take a leave."

"Wait!" Sagami held me by the hem of my cardigan. "I- I also want to apologize. For everything I said, everything I did, the way I viewed you, and the way I treated you; I am sorry. I was too busy judging someone else to notice what was wrong with me. Thank you for making me realize it." She bowed deeply; her hands trembled as she grabbed the hem of her skirt.

Sagami Minami was a faker and might remain that way for a while; however, there was no reason for me to abhor a changed person. A small smile crept up my face as I ruffled her hair. She looked up at me in surprise but didn't show any sign of distaste. When she flushed, I retracted my hand and waved her goodbye.

I can't wait for tomorrow's sports festival. I couldn't believe that I could think about that.

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Honorary Mention:

Venerable Immortal Bowzr

Venerable Immortal Keksimus Rex