Chapter 133 – Practice Match (1)

The next day. An event that showed the difference in atmosphere between class 10 and 11 occurred.

It happened during P.E.

Since the class match was coming up, the students were supposed to gather according to the event they were going to participate in for a practice match.

So the boys went to the field for soccer and softball while the girls stayed inside the gym for volleyball and basketball, or at least that was the plan.

"It won't stop raining…"

I muttered to myself while changing into my gym clothes. My voice was drowned out by the heavy sound of the rain that had been pouring nonstop since this morning.

Since the beginning of the month, the sky was clear without a hint of clouds, but today, for some reason, it was completely covered by dark clouds all day long. Though, the weather forecast said that it would clear up in the evening, so our special training could still go on.

At any rate, the rain made it impossible for the boys to hold their practice matches, so they decided to let everyone stay inside the gym instead.

[Asanagi: It's been a while since we got a class together, isn't it?]

[Maehara: Yeah, they've always been separating the boys and the girls…]

[Maehara: Anyway, I'm looking forward to your class' performance.]

[Asanagi: Mm! Our team A is inexperienced, but they shouldn't do too badly.]

[Asanagi: Well, just look forward to it.]

[Maehara: Roger.]

After texting Umi, I followed the girls of my class to the gym.

There were around sixty people in total inside the gym since they squeezed all the students from class 10 and 11 there. Because of that, the gym was more cramped than it usually was.

We had enough space to play catch, but the risk of hitting someone was significantly higher than normal.

After they finished preparing the equipment, I sat down at the corner of the basketball court. I overheard some boys talking.

'…Oi…'

'I know.'

'Yeah, you don't need to tell us, we know.'

'Still, those things are amazing…'

'I'm glad that we're in the same class…'

After seeing what was in their line of sight, I let out a sigh.

They were staring at Amami-san, who was practicing happily with her teammates.

I knew what they meant by 'amazing'. Those peaks were normally hidden because of the school's blazer, but now that she was in her gym clothes, anyone with a functioning pair of eyes could see them clearly. Whenever she tried to shoot the ball, those peaks would shake.

I understood their feelings, truly. After all, I was a healthy high school boy like them. I've been trying not to look, yet my eyes were drawn into them involuntarily, I totally understood them.

But still, watching was one thing, but turning it into a conversation topic?

Have they ever considered that their words would reach Amami-san's ears and make her extremely uncomfortable? Was it hard to just keep their libido in check?

People would brand you as a closet pervert if you didn't say things like that out loud, but that would be better than to inconvenience the girl, wouldn't it?

Such thoughts appeared in my mind, but honestly speaking, this wasn't only about Amami-san.

After all, if they did that to Amami-san, they would most likely do the same to Umi too.

I looked at Umi, who was practicing her shots and our eyes met.

'Maki~'

She moved her lips while waving at me. God, she was so cute.

…I want to keep her to myself… Am I being selfish?

"…Hehe, you seem troubled, Maehara-kun."

"Nakamura san?"

"Hello. Jeez, as soon as they let the boys and the girls together, they immediately started ogling at the girls' bodies… You guys are hopeless…"

I was certain that nobody was beside me. How did she get here without me noticing? She was absurdly tall, there was no way that someone like her would be unnoticeable, right?

"I-I'm a boy too, you know?"

"Well, you seem to be more sensible— No, you're not, you're just obsessed with Umipai instead, right?" (T/N: Umi+oppai, basically)

"U-Um…"

I could guess what she meant by Umipai, but I'll exercise my right to remain silent.

…Though, she wasn't wrong. I've seen Umi's shaking around too, but I was her boyfriend, it should be okay for me to stare at her, no?

Being obsessed with her body should be fine also since I was her boyfriend.

"By the way, Nakamura-san, which sport will you play?"

"Basketball. Well, I could go into either of them since I'm tall and the girls on both sides tried their best to win me over, but in the end, it was Umipai that won me over."

"…I see…"

"You're no fun. C'mon, give me a good reaction."

Nakamura-san let out a chuckle while removing her glasses.

I didn't really notice her face since her eccentric personality overshadowed it by a mile, but now I got a closer look at it, she looked really cool. She had this dignified face, coupled with her height, she seemed to be someone who would be really popular among the girls. 

"Alright, I gotta go. Maehara-kun, you're going to cheer on your beloved Asanagi-chan, right?"

"Yeah… It still feels wrong to cheer on the enemy's team though."

"Is that so? But don't you think it's frustrating to cheer for a team that isn't worthy of being cheered for even though you're supposed to be on the same side?"

"Huh?"

"Or something like that…"

Nakamura-san let out a chuckle before going to Umi's side.

'Nakamura, what were you talking about with Maehara-shi?'

'Just small talk~ By the way, our ace's accuracy is starting to drop. What's going on, Asanagi-chan?~"

'N-Nothing!'

'Ugh! Asanagi-chan, you're so cute!'

'I know, right?'

'J-Jeez… Idiots…'

It felt awkward to hear their conversations from here, but at least I found out that their team's synergy was quite good.

Also, Umi was so cute.

Meanwhile on the other side…

"Um, please take care of me, Arae-san… Let's do our best together!"

"Hm? Ah, yeah, sure, whatever."

"…Uh…"

Aside from the girls that were on Amami-san's side, the girls on Arae-san's side had been idling since the very beginning. It was clear that this team had split into two.

So this was what she meant by cheering for a team that wasn't worth it.

I originally thought that Umi was the center of class 11, but that might not be the case after all.